Vestrius
by Mr. X
Summary: The story of garrett and the mysterious artifact the Vestrius. Chapter 16 is here. WARNING: It gets a little sexual not a ton but some near the end, hence the increase in rating If you noticed.
1. A Quiet Entry

Author's note: As always I don't own Thief or anything associated with it. That stuff all belongs to Looking Glass studios and the good people at Eidos. This is my first Thief fic but I have been playing the games for some time.  
  
  
The cool night breeze whistled amongst the treetops, filling the air with the melodic sounds of the natural world. Beneath the eaves of this veredant forest was a single shadow, deeper than the rest in its shade and...thoughts. For this was no shadow at all. Without a sound the being stirred. Slowly it stood to its full height and moved off. It parted bush and branch effortlessly, and noiselessly. The trees soon broke and the shadow stepped out onto a narrow strip of open grass. Its figure was revealed in the pale moonlight. A man, cloaked and hooded in the deepest black. Before it towered a high stone wall, a tower stood at either end of the battlements and behind it, the loomed a four storey manor house. Its roof was flat except for the few outbuildings which had shingled rooves. The cloaked being moved up to the wall and, undaunted, began to climb. His feet and hands finding cracks and crevices no other would find. He reached the battlements quickly, and pulled himself over the edge. He slinked along the parapet to the door on the eastern side which lead into the tower. Reaching out with a black gloved hand he lightly turned the knob. The wooden door swung inward. Inside the room was unfurnished except for a large trapdoor in the centre of the floor. A single chair stood by the window, a snoring guard dress in a green tabard and mail occupied it. The three liqour bottles scattered around the room the cause for his slumber. The shadow entered and shut the door behind himself. He pulled the iron ring on the trapdoor which revealed a narrow winding stair, light by torches running down at regular intervals along the side wall. The man pulled the trapdoor closed behind himself, and moved down the steps and out the door at the bottom.   
  
He was in a private garden behind the main house. Beds of flowers spread across bush covered grass with cobblestone paths winding their ways amongst the greenery. A marble fountain sprayed gently near the garden's centre. Low hedges and stone walls ran alongside some paths in short stretches. Trees dotted the lawns, willows mostly. A stone outbuilding jutted out from the manor where the garden met the house. Near the fountain stood a guard similar to the one in the tower...except awake. Two more patrolled both the eastern and western paths, all had swords hanging loosely in their sheaths. The thief stood unnoticed at the base of the tower. He crouched low and moved up to a low hanging willow next to a waist high stone wall. He pushed through the curtain of leaves and moved up to the wall, crouching below it. A guard moved down the path across the wall and towards the house. When he had passed, the thief vaulted the wall and leapt across the path to lie prone in a flower bed on the adjacent lawn. He let the seconds tick by before he moved again. He crawled to a hedge bordering the lawn and was now near the fountain. Peering over the hedge he saw the guard looking straight at the outbuilding, away from him. The other two guards never patrolled towards the manor and so never looked at the outbuilding or could hear any sound coming from it. But this one could and he needed to be removed. The thief reached into his cloak and slid his blackjack from his belt. Waiting until the guard on the eastern lawn turned away and the western one was out of site behind a tree, he sprang up. He moved around the hedge and ghosted across the courtyard stones, his boots never making a sound. He moved until he was directly behind the guard, so that he could hear his breathing and smell his sour breath. He brought the blackjack up and then down hard on the base of the guard's neck. The man dropped forward with a slight groan but the thief caught his unconcious form before it had hit the ground and dragged him behind the hedge just as the guard on the western lawn rounded the tree on a return patrol. The thief could hear his voice shout across to the guard on the other lawn. "Hey, where'd Benny go?" "I dunno, probably went to get his supper at the kitchens, didn't ya see him leave?" the second one replied. "Na, but you know Benny, always thinkin' of his stomach an' slackin' off, it's a wonder the sir don't fire him." "Well, if we all get blamed for slackin' off on watch tomorrow cause a' him, then I gonna be real mad." "I know what you mean, I just don't understand how he left so fast, I mean it was as though he disappeared." "Well nothing we can do except wait till he gets back, we leave our posts and were all gonna get it." "Huh, no good taffer, leavin us to do his watchin while he stuffs his face." "Yeah, ah well back to work." The voices stopped and the intruder heard the crunch of booted feet as the guards resumed their patrol. He waited until their footsteps had receeded a little before rounding the hedge and moving towards the outbuilding. He moved from shadow to shadow and bush to bush, stopping several times to wait as the guards came by on patrol. Eventually reached the outbuilding and was out of their sight and hearing.   
  
He leapt atop a stack of crates beside the doors to the outbuilding. From here he jumped to the shingled roof of the outbuilding and walked up the tiles to the wall. Looking up, a wood framed balcony jutted out from the second floor. Reaching behind his back, the prowler pulled a wooden bow and an unusual arrow from somewhere amongst his cloak. The arrow had a bundled payload attached to the shaft which took the form of a cloth bag. The man nocked the arrow to his bow and fired it into a support beneath the balcony. The impact split the cloth bag as it was designed to, and a rope spilled out. The line uncoiled itself down to the man, who stored his bow and began climbing soundlessly up the rope. He reached to ledge in moments and was soon climbing the wall with his hands, just as before, to a third floor window-ledge. From there he made his way to the fourth floor, and then to the roof. Never once during this entire climb did he slip or flinch. The roof was wide and empty. The only exception being a small wooden shed and a glass skylight. He moved across the gravel covering, his boots not even crunching against the pebbles. Unlatching the skylight he looked down into the room below.   
  
A carpeted parlour was below, its stone grate devoid of flame and its couches and chairs empty. The thief dropped in like a cat, on all fours. He landed without sound or disturbance. He stood and moved to the door. Pressing his ear against it he listened for movement outside...nothing. He slipped through the door and into the hallway. The hall was dark and stone floored. Various doors led off the hall but the thief had only one goal in mind. He moved down the hall to a set of double doors at the end. As he did so a side door opened and light spilled into the darkened hallway. The thief leapt out of the light and ducked in behind an alcolve containing a marble statue. A guard walked into the hall moments later and after pausing to look around for a moment, continued down the hall. He reached another side door and entered. The thief waited until he was sure complete silence reigned, then he went to the double doors. These were locked. Reaching for a pouch at his side he knelt in front of the door. Unrolling the bundle he selected a thin metal wire with a hook on the end. He inserted this into the keyhole and began rattling the wire from side to side. The lock began clicking, he reached down and selected another wire from his set. This joined the first in the keyhole, the lock clicked quicker now and the knob began to turn, suddenly it jerked open. The thief replaced his tools and was about to open the door when the side door opened and the guard returned. There was no time to get out of sight. He slipped back into the shadowy reccesses of an area of the hall where the wall joined the floor, and stretched himself out flat. The guard strode down the hall and through a side door, once again leaving only silence behind. The thief waited before returining to the doors and entering, shutting them behind him.   
  
He was in a marble tiled hall. The high roof supported by six columns spaced around the room. Long carpets extended the length and breadth of the room. Austere paintings were spaced along the wood panelled wall. High vaulted windows dominated the left side of the room, moonlight streaming through. To the left was a low wooden platform which had it's own indentation in the wall. On either side of the indentation, a short flight of steps ran up to a wooden door. The centre of the room held a stone pedestal on which sat a golden skull. Its eyes were rubies, burning with an inner light. The jaw hung slackly open in a mocking scream. The thief lay himself flat on the floor and used his hands and feet to propel himself across the flooring. He reached the base of the pedestal and looked across the room to the wooden platform. On it was a marble table which held a fist-sized indentation in it's centre. Six small silver stubs ran in a circle around the notch, each one projecting a fine blue thread across the ident to another stub on the other side. Something inside the ident glowed with a blue light. The thief looked up at the skull, it's eyes staring directly at the platform. Slowly he stood up behind it. Reaching above the crown of the skull he gradually placed his hands on the skull. He could feel it shudder beneath him...yet his hands had not shaken. He every so slowly crept his fingers down the fore of the skull and stopped a hairsbreadth above the eyes. Then, he worked each digit in behind the gems. When he had gotten a firm hold on the sockets, he gently pressed forward on the rubies. They stuck for a moment before suddenly popping out with a snap. Quick as a flash the thief whipped his palms forward and caught the rubies before they hit the floor. He stood quite still for a moment, breathing... nothing stirred. He pocketed the rubies and stood back from the skull. Then he went and mounted the wooden platform. He looked into the niche in the table. The item inside was curious to say the least. It was about the length of a pen and relatively thick. It's entire length was jet black and covered in ornate gold script. Running around the centre of the object was a band of pure silver. At one end the piece widened into a small bowl-shaped headpiece into which was set a glowing blue stone. The stone was smooth and unmarked or blemished, and it emitted a pulsing blue glow from somewhere within it's core. "The Vestrius." The thief whispered. He examined the threads covering the ident. Each of them crisscrossed at different heights across the bowl, and because of this, left scare room for a hand to fit between them. The thief had no doubt in his mind that moving one of the strings, even slightly would cause either an alarm to sound or a trap to be triggered, or even both. He examined the underside of the table. There was no hint of any mechansim of any kind on the smooth surface. Looking back at the niche he examined the space between the strings. Reaching into his cloak he pulled out the lockpicks and picked his two thinnest wires. Then, he slowly lowered them through a gap in the strings and into the niche. With prefect care he slide one of the wires under the Vestrius. The hook end caught it and held. He placed the other wire on top of the Vestrius catching it between to two hooks. Then he slowly worked the Vestrius up the side of the bowl and towards the strings. As he raised it through the hole he leaned his elbow on the table to steady his hands. After a lengthy bit of twisting and shifting he managed to free the artifact and bring it out of the hole. Yet as he was poised over the niche with the Vestrius still clamped between the wires, his elbow slipped and the hooks detached. The Vestrius twirled through the air towards the strings below. The intruder whipped out his hand and caught the Vestrius mere inches from the strings. Slowly he pulled his hand back. He placed the Vestrius in a cloth wrap and dropped the bundle into a leather cylinder at his side. Then, gathering up his tools he made for the windows. He unbolted the lower portion of the large casement and mounted the ledge. He turned to take one last look at the room, and as he did so the moonlight played across his face. His mechanical eye whirred in its socket as the light hit it. Garrett the Master Thief had struck again. And with that he was gone. 


	2. The Meeting

The city, it had no other name. Amongst it's narrow streets and twisting alleys walked our shadow. Garrett. Steam curled from sewer coverings, wreathing the thief in smoke and shadow. He strode with a confident pace down Wellington street. His dark hood obscuring his features. The few denizens of the city that were out this late gave him a wide berth, looking at him in fearful glances, lest his basilisk gaze fall upon them. He rounded a corner and came upon a rather large house, seperated from the rest by an iron fence. He pushed through the gate and strode up the path leading up to the house. Reaching the doors his gloved hand reached out and rapped three times on the solid oak. The sound echoed hollowly in the still night air. A moment later the door opened a crack and a guard poked his face out. "Yeah?" he said, looking Garrett up and down. "I need to see Dononvan." Garrett said, his voice omnious. "The master of the house is out this evening an-" "Don't lie to me." Garrett said his voice never changing tone. The guard stared at him trying to see his face through the hood. Garrett stared straight back, his eyes boring into the man's skull. "Aaaalright, hold on." The guard said, his voice shaking. His head pulled back and the sound of a bolt being drawn could be heard. The door opened fully and Garrett strode in, brushing past the guard as he entered. 

  
  


The man shut the door behind him and directed Garrett to follow him. He lead the thief through several richly decorated halls and rooms, down a flight of stone steps, and through an antechamber to Donovan's office. As they entered he looked up from his desk. He had a strong, full face. His dark black hair lay thick on his head, slightly dropping in front of his forehead; his chin showed evidence of stubble. His watery gray eyes looked up at Garrett, a small, empty smile playing across his thin lips. "Ah Garrett, I knew when I commissioned your services I would not be disappointed. But, first, would you be so kind as to return Harold's coin purse." The guard's eyes widened in surprise as Garrett tossed his purple money pouch towards him. He missed the catch but didn't notice, his eyes riveted on Garrett. "Thank you, I'm sure Harold will appreciate that, won't you Harold?" The guard nodded dumbly. "Now please go and fetch miss Galen from the library." The guard picked up his pouch from the floor and stumbled out. "So, mister Garrett, I assume this visit was not to report failure, because I don't like failure mister Garrett." Donovan's eyes narrowed. "My money first Donovan." Garrett said as if he had not heard him. Donovan reached below his desk and brought out two very large bags, which jingled as he dropped them on the desk. Garrett reached into his cloak and pulled forth the leather case. He slid the cloth wrap out and unrolled it in his hands. The Vestrius glimmered as it caught the light of the desk lamp. "Donovan's face looked triumphant for the tiniest of moments, before he frowned. "…Well I suppose its better than nothing." He swept one bag off the desk towards himself. "What?" Garrett said, incredulous. "Better than nothing? This is what you wanted." "Actually it is only half of what I asked for, mister Garrett." Donovan replied, his voice tight. "You see the Vestrius has two parts, you hold but one, therefore you receive half the original payment." "Listen Donovan, you promised me 5000, I want my money, now." Garrett said, his voice rising. "I asked for the Vestrius mister Garrett! You have brought me half! I will not pay the full amount to receive only half the commision!" Donovan leapt from his chair, pounding his fist on the desk, his grey silk clothing rustling. "Then you shall receive nothing." Garrett said plainly. He rolled the Vestrius back in the cloth. "Wait!" Donovan's eyes looked panicked. He paused for a moment, his mind working quickly. "I shall make you a deal then mister Garrett." He said sighing. He sat back down and straightened his clothes. "You get me the other half of the Vestrius, and I will pay you the full amount plus 2000 more." There was silence for a moment as Garrett considered this. "I… agree, but until I get my money, the first half will be staying with me." Donovan looked about to protest but checked himself. "As you wish mister Garrett." 

  
  


At that moment the door to the study opened and both men looked to the door; a woman entered. She was clothed in a rich red satin dress which fell about her figure alluringly. Her features were delicate yet strong, her eyes blazed with an inner fire, and her coppery red hair complemented it. "Ah miss Galen, so nice of you to join us. I trust my library was up to your standards." Donovan said, smiling his empty smile once again. "I found several interesting tomes amongst the shelves." She replied, her voice intense. "Good, good. I'd like you to meet mister Garrett. This is my associate Galen Sisendow." Donovan said motioning towards the woman. Garrett nodded to her and turned back to Donovan. "Does the lady have anything to do with my appropriating the second piece?" he asked. "Indeed she does mister Garrett." Donovan said. Galen moved up to the desk and glared at Garrett. "I can speak for myself gentlemen." She said angrily. "But of course miss, I didn't mean to offend." Galen ignored his apology and turned to Garrett. "Mister Donovan and I are collaborating on our endeavour to aquire the Vestrius, mister Garrett. By your statement about the second piece I can assume that you only have one, yes? Well, we are prepared t-" "I have already arranged something with mister Garrett here Galen." Donovan interjected. She paused. "I see and that would be?" "Mister Garrett has agreed to aquire the second piece for us in exchange for the entire payment plus an extra 2000." Donovan said smoothly. "I see, well I'm sure that's a reasonable exchange. So how is mister Garrett going to aquire the 2nd piece for us, considering we don't know where it is. At this Garrett interrupted. "Did she say you don't know where the second piece is Donovan? I don't like it when people don't tell me the whole story Donovan." Garrett said coldly. "I was just getting to that matter mister Garrett. Though we don't know where the 2nd piece is, we do know where we can find out."… "I'm listening." Garrett said. "You see mister Garrett, many people in this city have a desire for that which others own. I'm not the least of them. There is a man by the name of Richard van Wyker. He is also one such person. A local collector and purveyor of various items of value. I have information from trusted sources which tell me that Wyker recently attempted to purchase the Vestrius. Who from we have no idea. But we are confident that information as to who he attempted to buy it from is somewhere inside his mansion." "So, I break in, steal the papers, find where the 2nd piece is, and steal it to, correct?" Garrett said. "Not exactly." Donovan replied. "You see Richard's estate is heavily gaurded, even for one such as yourself." Donovan added this last part quickly as he sensed Garrett about to retort. "It would be difficult for you to gain entrance by simple infiltration." "But you have a better way in right? It seems you have a lot of access to this information Donovan, just who are your sources?" Donovan glared at Garrett and seemed about to say something, but Galen interjected before he could do so. "Regardless of who they are, we have a better way for you in, will you take it?" "Just what is this way in?" Garrett asked. "Richard is having a ball a week from now. He will be inviting guests from many of the noble houses and various other respectable citizens. Galen is one of them. You will go in as her escort. Once your inside, slip away from the party and find out where he keeps his papers. Retrieve the location of his contacts and then get back to Galen." Donovan finished looking intently at Garrett. "Escort? I don't think so. I work alone." "Of course, of course mister Garrett. I wasn't implying that miss Galen accompany you in your work, no no. Far from it mister Garrett. Galen will be covering your absence at the party while you carry out your search." Garrett thought about this for a moment. "Very well, but she had better not get in my way, I already dislike going to this party in the first place." At this Galen grabbed Garrett's shoulder and spun him around. It took all of his control to suppress the instinct inside him to lash out at her, years of living on the wrong end of the law made Garrett very sensitive to being touched. Galen's eyes burned intensly so that even Garrett could barely stand her gaze. "Get in your way?! I am not some lacky of Donovan's, or yours! You will accord me some respect you insolent pig!" Galen raged. "Enough!" Donovan yelled. Galen turned to him her eyes losing none of their intensity. Donovan spoke before she could continue. "This bickering is pointless. If we are to achieve our goals you must both put aside your pride and your arrogance, the quicker you do, the quicker we each get what we want and separate ourselves." Galen calmed slightly. She looked about to say something but changed her mind and instead sat herself in one of the chairs in front of the desk, still glaring at Garrett, who's cloaked features betrayed none of the irritation he held for this woman in red. "I'll do this job, but I will need 500 in advance to prepare adequately." Garrett said, turning to Donovan. "Done." Donovan replied, tossing Garrett and pouch from behind the desk. He caught it and slipped it into the folds of his cloak. "Then it is done, Garrett, you will have a carriage sent to you at your apartment the night of the party. You will collect miss Galen from her tower, and both of you will proceed to Richard's house. I hope you don't mind paying for the carriage mister Garrett." Though it was impreceptible to them, Garrett scowled under his hood at the free spending of his money by this pretentious noble. He opted to remain silent. "You will go under the guise of a wealthy merchant from Dayport. I sincerely hope you have the skill to play the part." Garrett scowled again. "Get yourself some presentable clothes, preferably something that doesn't involve a cloak and hood." At this Galen smirked slightly. "Garrett turned to face her glaring from the reccesses of his hood. She glared defiantly back. After a moment their gazes broke and each turned away sullenly. "Use the name Xavier, it is the name of a recently deceased nobleman, the rest of the inner circle will have forgotten him, as is their way." "To take the name of the dead is to become dead." Garrett whispered, almost to himself. Donovan took no notice. "Get whatever equipment or information you may need to find Richard's study. We have no maps of his house at the moment so you will need to procure your own should you feel it necessary…I believe that is all?" Nobody spoke. "Well then, it is late and I shall retire to bed, I bid you both goodnight, Harold will show you out." At this the guard appeared at the door, almost as if he had heard Donovan say his name. Donovan exited through a door at the back of the study. Harold motioned tenatively for the two to follow him. They did so, silently. He led them back to the front door which he quickly shut behind them to keep out the chill wind which had sprung up. Garrett looked up. The sun would be rising in a few hours, he should get back to his apartments. Galen wrapped the red fur coat tightly around her shoulders, shuddering inspite of her garments. Garrett walked beside her to the front gate and out into the street in front of the house. He was about to walk towards his apartments when Galen tapped him on the shoulder. "Donovan may think highly of your abilities, but I do not, you will do as I say when we are there, your lack of proper etiquette could get us both discovered and I will not have my undertaking ruined by someone of inferior intelligence such as yourself. Is that clear?" Garrett was infuriated by this. He wanted to rage at her and her impudence. Talking to him like a child as though he was inferior to her. He held back his anger and changed it into a cold fury. "Crystal clear." Was all he said before striding off into the shadows of the street. Galen stood staring after him for several moments. Then with a final grimace she strode off in the opposite direction.


	3. Errands

Garrett strode to the door of his apartment building on Hill Street. Pulling a key out from his cloak he unlocked the door and entered the building. The building was small, only three stories high, and was quite shabby, being the home of several of the city's less respectable denizens. The hallway was lit by the flickering light of a single torch, sputtering in its iron sconce beside the stairwell. Garrett moved up the steps, which would have creaked and shook had anyone with a softer step than him try and climb them. He ascended a second flight and opened the door to his apartment. The place was overall fairly respectable. To the right of the door a ceiling high wooden arch divided the main room into two parts. The right section had the hearth and thin rug in front of it, with two armchairs angled towards each other and the fireplace. A small kitchen area was also part of the room. It held a countertop, some cupboards, a small iron stove, and an icebox. On the far wall was a window, which was at the center of the wooden arch and a full bookcase beside that. The other section held a slanted desk and chair, as well as a two-seat couch. The right section also had a wooden door in it, which led to the bedroom. In the bedroom was a typical bed and nightstand. A closet also stood in the narrow hallway between the door and the main bedroom area. A window was at the foot of the bed on the far wall. Garrett looked around suspiciously at all of these features, even checking in the secret compartment behind the closet wall. When he felt sure that no assassins lay in wait to slit his throat, he relaxed. He quickly shut the door to his apartment and locked each of the seven locks on the door, checking each individually for its functionality. Going to his closet he pulled back his hood. His face handsome and roguish. The mechanical eye looked almost normal except for the off white color it held. However, when necessary he could make himself look absolutely terrifying. He undid the clasp to his cloak and hung it up on a rack in the closet. This revealed his black undersuit. Around his waist was a belt with pouches and straps of all shapes and sizes on it. These held his various tools of the trade. His sword and scabbard also hung at his side, though they seldom saw use. A bow and quiver were both strapped around his chest and though it seemed impossible, all of this equipment fit unencumberingly and almost seamlessly under his cloak. He undid his belt and unstrapped his quiver and bow. Reaching up he grabbed the third peg from the right in the closet and turned it a quarter turn to the left. The back wall of his closet slid up revealing the compartment within. Wooden shelves were set in close proximity to each other down two thirds of the compartment. They held bundles of arrows of every type as well as several flashbombs and mines. There was also a pair of potions contained in green glass bottles. Some scouting orbs sat dormant on one shelf, as did a large collection of yet-to-be-fenced loot. Garrett replaced the three flashbombs and scouting orb in their proper place and put his bow and quiver on the floor along with his sword. His belt he stored on the top shelf and his key ring went right beside it. Garrett also placed the case with the Vestrius here, hidden under the coin pouch from Donovan. He took the two rubies he had lifted from the golden skull at Emilio's and flipped them in his hands for a moment, admiring them. Then he placed them into his pile of collected loot. He closed the compartment. Garrett pulled off the top of his black undersuit and hung this up. His chest was lean and well muscled. A few white lines the reminders of some of his more serious past injuries. He stripped off his leggings as well and hung them up. He changed into a light cotton tunic and trousers. Then closing the closet he went to his windows and made sure they were locked up tight. Then taking the various maps and papers he had brought with him that night he went to the living area and opened his desk. Various drawers were set into the desk and only an inkpot and quill broke a flat space on top. Garrett opened one of the drawers and filed away the papers. He shut the desk and went to the kitchen. He opened up one of the cupboards and pulled out a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese along with a hunk of dried and salted meat. This he placed on a plate and filled a glass with cold water from a pitcher in the icebox. He placed his meal on the fireplace and bent to light a fire using some wood from a small pile next to the grate. He soon had a fire going and sat down to eat in quiet contemplation. _I'll have to acquire a map or two of this Richard van Wyker's manor, shouldn't be a problem. I have a few friends who owe me favors. I'll need some fine clothing to, seeing as how Donovan seems to think what I wear at the moment is substandard…huh pretentious bastard. And that witch he employs is no better! Ah well, seeing as how I got 500 from him I may as well put it to use. I should also pay Osgood a visit, pick up some of his latest items and see what he's willing to pay for some of my loot. Other than that I can't see anything else that needs doing. Ugh! _He rubbed his eyes sleepily. _I should get some sleep. _He stood and placed his dishes on the counter next to the tap. He let the fire die down and turned off the oil-lamp above the main room. He went to his bedroom and did the same to his desk lamp before opening the sheets and checking under his pillow. His hands clasped the hilt of the dagger secreted there and he sighed. He got into the sheets and fell asleep. While he slept, the city woke.

Garrett awoke late in the day. He opened his shutters to see sunlight streaming through the window. The street below him was a bustle of activity as people went about their daily business. He quickly shut them again, rubbing his eyes. He stumbled out of his bedroom and to the kitchen where he poured himself another glass of water and drank deeply. He went to his closet and started to take out his regular black tunic and gray leggings for daywear when he caught their scent. _By the Gods these are ripe! I'd better go to the bathhouse to do some washing; I could use shower myself to. _Garrett grabbed all of his clothes off the hooks and put them into a cloth bag he kept on the closet floor. He changed into the pair he had taken out but was careful to liberally coat himself with scented oil he found in the nightstand drawer. He opened the secret compartment and grabbed the pouch he had put there earlier, as well as his key ring. Garrett exited his apartment and walked the three blocks to the bathhouse. The house was a two story marble affair. The windows were blue glass shards pieced together to form the window, each piece was edged in gold creating a spidery web of gold amongst the glass. The walls were a soft green and there was an extensive garden surrounded by a low iron gate around the building. Garrett entered the main lobby, which was well decorated to match the outside. He went up to the woman at the reception desk. She looked up at him through black-rimmed spectacles. "Welcome to the Eastport Bathhouse and spa, what's your pleasure sir?" The bathhouse, in addition to being a wash house and bathing edifice, was also a very high-class whorehouse. Garrett felt no need for such companionship; money was his only love. "I need a private shower stall and these (he placed the bag on the counter) washed." "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer our full body workout treatment o-." "Just the shower and wash." Garrett interrupted. "Of course sir, that will be 200." Garrett took out his pouch and placed roughly 200 coins onto the counter." "Thank you sir, here is your key, room number 4 on your left." She said pointing down the marble hall to his left. The receptionist rang a small silver bell and a servant girl came out through a door in the back. The woman turned to her. "Have these washed and delivered to this gentleman's room." The girl curtsied and carried the bag into the backroom. "Thanks." Garrett said hurriedly as he grabbed his key and went down the hall. "Enjoy your stay." The woman said before looking back at her papers.

Garrett unlocked the heavy green door to his room. Inside the entire room was covered in green marble. In the center of the room was a depression in the floor, set in white marble, shot with gray streaks. A fountain of marble stood in the center of the depression and cascaded a gentle curtain of water just inside the lip of the depression. The depression was about 8 feet deep, and angled inwards towards the center. It was filled with crystal clear water, which drained out through a small brass drain in the center, near the fountain. The water that sprayed around the perimeter of the pool acted as a curtain, distorting anyone whom stood inside of it. There was floor to ceiling windows along the far wall, which allowed daylight to come streaming it but were also distorted, white curtains stood along the edges, allowing for extra privacy should it be needed. Stone benches sat at either side of the pool in the center. Tropical plants and marble busts were placed artfully around the room. A black marble countertop ran along one wall, a large painting of a scantily clad woman hanging above it and a long gold-bordered mirror below that. The countertop had a few potted plants on it and a silver basin set into it, with a hoary pitcher of water beside it. White towels lay stacked in a black cabinet on one wall, along with white cotton bathrobes. Beside them were various perfumes and other beauty products. A gray mat lay near the pool, a pillow of light blue satin, sitting on it. 

Garrett looked around at all this a sighed. _This is always worth the 200._ He thought. To him that kind of money was nothing. To a commoner it was equivalent to their life savings. Garrett placed his key on the countertop and undressed. He pushed through the curtain of water around the pool and walked down the marble steps until he was in up to his waist in the warm water. He waded in further until he was up to his neck near the center of the pool. He grabbed a bar of soap from a silver rack attached to the fountain and began washing. When he finished he lay back a let himself float in the gentle water. Then, he heard the door to his room swing open and then shut again. He stood bolt upright in the water. Cautiously he lowered himself under the water and moved to float behind the fountain. He reached down to his side for his dagger and then realized that it was sitting folded up in his clothes on the countertop. He cursed inwardly. The person was wearing a bathrobe but that was all Garrett could make out through the distorting dome of water that encased him. The person moved to the pool and disrobed, letting it flutter to the floor. They started to walk through the curtain. They never got that far. Garrett had swan soundlessly underwater until he was near the steps. As the person made to step through the curtain, he burst up in a spray of water and leapt through the curtain at his intruder. They both luckily flew through the air together and hit the gray mat near the pool, making it slide across the floor. Garrett grabbed his opponent around the throat but stopped short. Beneath him lay the girl who had taken his clothes for washing. She looked up at him in shock at the sudden attack. She was naked. Garrett could feel her warm breasts pressing against his chest. He rolled off in shock and scrambled to his feet. She stood up and looked at him. He grabbed the girl's robe from the floor and quickly put it on, talking as he did so. "What the hell are you doing here?!" "The girl looked coyly at him and started to advance. "I thought you might need some company, you know someone to help you wash your back." She got closer as Garrett backed away. "I don't need any company." "Everyone needs company, even you though you may say otherwise. Has it been so long that you have forgotten the pleasure of another against your skin?" She moved quicker. "I don't need any of that, now could you please leave?" The girl stopped, she looked hurt. "Alright, I go." She turned but slipped on a wet spot on the slick marble floor. Garrett ran forward and caught her before she fell. She was on him in a flash. Whipping around out of his arms she twisted her body and pulled him into an embrace. Her lips met his and she kissed him with intensity, biting down on his lip and drawing blood. He could feel he warm body pressing against him as her hands struggled to untie his robes. He pushed her off of him. He backed up, touching his lip and seeing blood on his fingers. "Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I don't need your services, now get out of my room!" The girl's expression turned angry. "Fine, you nasty little man, you'll regret this for the rest of your life, thinking about all the pleasure you could have had!" She grabbed a bathrobe and pulled it on before storming out the door. Garrett slumped onto one of the stone benches and felt at his lip again. "Damn whore." He cursed. He collected his clothes and put them back on, someone had already come and taken them to wash before bringing back his entire load. He drank deeply from the pitcher before leaving. He dropped his key with the receptionist and left.

He walked back to his apartments and replaced his clothes in the closet, putting the rubies from the skull in his pocket. Then he left again, this time heading for one of the thieves' guilds. There were a total of five guilds in the city, two major ones and three minor. The two majors were the Moonshadows and the Scarlet Daggers. There had been wars between the guilds in the past under various leaders, which were called Darkblades. During each war, the smaller guilds would take sides depending on whom they favored. These guilds were often the deciding factors in any major engagements. The three minor guilds were the Silver Skulls, the Drachens, and the Jade Falcons. The two major guilds each controlled half of the city and decided weather a minor guild would be allowed to work a certain area. If they did allow it then the guild had to take a cut from all of its members to cover the fee imposed. Any thief caught thieving in an area which they were not licensed to be in were usually taken prisoner and either roundly beaten, or have their loot taken and sent back to their guild roughed up. Only in extreme circumstances or during a guild war were they killed. Freelances like Garrett were rare and far in-between. Most guilds would rather bring them into the fold rather than oppose them. If the freelances had fences they were usually left alone (the fence usually paid a large one-time fee for being allowed to dispense jobs around the city). If they didn't have fences they were usually at odds with any guild thieves they met, but the guild thieves never usually pursued a fight unless they had a numerical advantage. Freelance thieves weren't independent because they were weak. Guild Wars were usually fought for extended territory but it seemed that the half-half division of the city was always returned to.

At this moment Garrett was headed for the Drachens guildhouse, which he was on slightly more friendly terms with than the others. Garrett walked up to an otherwise plain looking house squeezed between countless others like it. He knocked on the solid wood door. A few moments later he heard movement and a narrow slit opened at eye level. "Password?" A gruff voice said from behind the door. "Spilled blood is red, a strangled man is blue, open the door or I'm coming for you." Garrett recited. The slit slammed shut and Garrett heard the sound of the door being unbarred and unbolted. It opened a crack to admit him. He stepped inside and the door slammed shut behind him. He was in a dimly lit, low ceilinged room. He could make out the dark shapes of sacks of flour and grain piled against the walls, boxes and barrels cluttering the room and small narrow shelves filled with dusty glass jars lining the walls. A man dressed in a black leather jerkin and hood finished bolting the door and turned around to face him. "Hello Garrett haven't seen you in quite a while, so how's Cutty doing?" "Cutty's dead Thomas." Garrett said plainly. "Must have been longer than I thought, oh well go on in." Thomas reached under a shelf and pressed a hidden catch. Part of the stone wall at the back slid aside to reveal a narrow wooden staircase descending. Garrett walked in and down the steps. A long hall waited at the bottom, lined with torches. At the end was a wooden door, which Garrett opened. This lead into a square stone room, which was illuminated by the light of many iron candelabra's set around the room. There were four stone pillars supporting the roof, each placed a little off from its corner. Three stone archways led off from the room, one on each wall. A plain wooden table sat in the center; a man sat behind it with ink, a quill and several sheaves of parchment lay out on the desk. He was relatively skinny with short black hair and a very round face. He looked up as Garrett entered. "State your name, status, and business with the guild." "Garrett, freelance, and I'm here to purchase some maps from Llass." The man recorded all of this on his parchment. "Straight ahead, fifth archway on your right, through the left door in the gambling hall, and from there it's the second door on your left." With that he ignored Garrett and looked back at his papers. Garrett took no notice. He made his way through the gambling hall, which was empty of players at the moment and into Llass's shop. It was a small wooden room, which was lit by a large lamp suspended from the ceiling. The room was divided by a wooden countertop. Behind the counter the walls were covered in shelves, compartments, and tables all filled with parchment. They littered the room, covering almost every surface. Behind the counter sat a young looking man. He was hunched over a stack of parchment studying it intently, a looking glass pressed close to his eyes. He didn't seem to notice Garrett entering his shop. Garrett tapped him on the shoulder. The man looked up in surprise, his normally large eyes made even larger by the looking glass. He put down the looking glass and smiled. "Garrett! You startled me for a moment." "I have that effect on people." He replied the tiniest of smiles creeping into his normally dour expression. "So, what is it you need from my shop this time?" "Richard van Wyker, you ever heard of him Llass?" He asked the shop owner. "Garrett, there isn't a single person in this city whose-." "House, mansion, tower or garden you don't have mapped, I know Llass." This was Llass's sales pitch; Garrett had heard it a thousand times before. "Umm, yes well I assume your not here to ask me for his personal details, so let me get out his map…if I could only find it." Llass got off his stool and started looking around the shop, sliding parchment onto the floor as he sifted through his wealth on knowledge. After several minutes of searching he pulled out a set of sheets rolled up and bound with a red strip. "Ah ha! Here we go…Richard van Wyker, collector, artisan, and archeologist." "I thought you knew everyone by the layout of their house, what gives?" "Occasionally a map will come with an occupational marker." He replied offhandedly. Llass came back to the counter and handed the scroll to Garrett. "75 for the set, that includes the map maker's notes, and the location names, not to mention the quality of the map." "Fair price." Garrett said as he paid Llass. "Anything else?" "No, goodbye Llass." Garrett turned and left. He exited the thieves guild, next stop Osgood's.

The bell tingled in a small, musty shop as the door swung open. Garrett entered, staring around the dimly, lit room. The shop looked a lot like Llass's at the guild except instead of maps there was just about everything else. Items of all shapes and sizes sat piled, stacked, dropped, or set on shelves, countertops, and drawers. A very small, beady eyed man stood behind the counter, a cresent of grey hair the only adorning feature on his otherwise bald head. He wore plain, black spectacles and old plaid clothes. He regarded Garrett as he approached the counter with a very buisness-like gaze. "Garrett, what brings you to my humble shop? Here to purchase a few more…tools? I've just received a shipment from a contact overseas and it contains some items I'm sure one such as yourself would be interested in." "What have you got Osgood?" Garrett replied. "Ah, it would be more productive to show you, wait but a moment." With that he entered a door behind the counter. He exited moments later, carrying a wooden chest. He set this on the counter and beckoned Garrett closer. Osgood opened the chest. Inside were two things, a pair of boots and a grappling hook. The boots were black leather, quite supple, they shone with a polished gleam. The hook was plain dark metal which refused to shine, no matter the lighting. The metal seemed quite soft, but when Garrett put his hand on it, it felt incredibly strong. "These items are quite valuable Garrett. The boots are boots of swiftness, the wearer will be able to jump very high and run very fast. The hook is also magic, when attatched to any surface it will to conform to the shape of the surface and then stick fast to it until commanded to release itself." "How do I know these aren't just clean boots and a hook?" Garrett said, regarding the items dubiously. "A demonstration would calm your suspicions would it not?" "Yes" "Then come with me." Osgood led Garrett through the backroom and out into the alley behind the shop. He told Garrett to put on the boots. He did so, and as he put his feet in he felt a certain lightness grip him. "Now, run to the end of the alley and back, and when you are returning jump to grab the fire escape on my building." Osgood instructed. Garrett started to run he felt his feet nearly fly across the cobblestone, yet he had barely exerted himself. He reached the end of the alley and dashed back, leaping as he ran. He soared upwards a good six or seven meters his fingers brushed the railing of the fire escape and then he caught the bar. He hung there for a moment and then pulled himself up. He lowered the ladder to Osgood and climbed back down. "Are they satisfactory?" Osgood said, apparantly very pleased with himself. "They are, but what about the hook?" "Of course, here take it and throw it at any wall." Garrett took the hook and whipped it as hard as he could at the wall. The hook slammed into it and stuck in head first, then the hooks inverted themselves and jammed deep into the wall. Garrett walked over and yanked on the hook. It didn't move and inch. "You need only say release." Osgood told him. "umm…release?" Garrett said. The hooks immediately came free and the hook dropped to the ground. Garrett picked it up and turned it over in his hands. "Are the items acceptable?" Osgood asked. "Yes, how much?" "For both the boots and the hook I am taking 2000." He stated. "Will these suffice?" Garrett asked. He pulled the rubies from his pocket, they gleamed in the daylight. "Osgood took them and looked them over with an appraising eye. "These I deem will pay for 1700 of the cost." He said. Garrett took out his pouch and handed it to Osgood. "There's 225 in there, I can get you the 75 tomorrow." He said. "Very well Garrett, but until you do, the items will be staying in my possession." "Then, in that case I will retrieve the rest of the payment and return here today." Garrett replied striding out of the alleyway. He returned later in the day and payed Osgood his money. He put on the boots and walked rather quickly home. 

In the few days leading up to the party at Richard's estate, Garrett appropriated a fine looking black satin outfit, with silver buttons and trimming. This also came with a black pace stick with a small silver globe as the handle. The suit he had bought from one of the finest tailors in town and was actually quite pleased to wear it. He also restocked his kitchen, as food was getting scarce. During the evenings he would sit with a glass of water at his elbow, looking over the maps of Richard's manor by the light of a single candle. He had found the study and ballroom easily enough. The difficulty was that the study was located on the 2nd floor of Richard's three story house, in a small tower near the side of the main building. The ballroom and the gallery were on the first floor of Richard's house, at the other end. Now, his manor was deeper than it was wide, so the distance was not to much to cross. But it was still quite a bit of space, and there would be guards. Being a guest of the lord of the house would give Garrett a certain amount of leeway but not enough to be walking through rooms in plain sight. This was his plan. Garrett would leave the party via the balcony on the gallery level, overlooking the dance hall. From there he would proceed towards the middle of the house to the nearest staircase which he would ascend to the third floor. After that he would exit through a window in a nearby lavatory and climb to the roof from which he would enter the tower window from the outside, thereby bypassing the gaurds at the doors. He would find what he required and then exit and climb down to the ground where he would sneak back into the house and rejoin the party. There were likely going to be guards around the inside of the house and the patrols would be even more heavy and alert than usual, due to the guests. But, Garrett had observed the routes that had been mapped out on for him and found that by taking a certain route through the house to the stairs, he could avoid much of the guards. Garrett had also decided on his gear required for the mission. A sword was out of the question, as was a bow. He could carry his blackjack and lockpicks in without anyone noticing. With a bit of experimentation he was also able to fit a fairly short coil of black dyed rope onto the inside of his jacket. The grappnel was to bulky and oddly shaped to conceal properly. He also took one of his daggers, a flashbomb, his map, a gas mine, and his boots he would be wearing. This was already quite a bit of equipment in his eyes, but he had to prepare for mishaps. It was on one of these nights of preperation that he was paid a visit.

Garrett had almost finished fitting the rope inside his jacket when he heard someone rap sharply on his door. He dropped the jacket and swept up a dagger. He went to his door and pressed his ear against it. "Who calls at this hour?" he said, his fingers tensing around the dagger handle. "Galen." Garrett pulled away from the door and looked at it strangely. He unbolted all seven locks and pulled the door open. Galen stood on his doorstep, she was dressed in her usual red attire. "Yes?" Garrett said bemusedly. "I've come to talk to you Garrett, may I come in, or do all your guests spend their visits on the threshold?" He moved aside to let her enter, muttering under his breath "I usually invite guests." She removed the red coat from her shoulders and draped in over a coathook beside the door. She went to the grate and sat down in front of it, in one of the chairs. "You house is so dark, we shall have light." She pointed her finger at the fireplace and said some words of magic "Nialaruth nos fieremos!" Fire sprang up in the hearth, burning on nothing but air itself. "Sit, I would discuss the particular's of our task with you." Garrett sat, still looking at her warily, he placed the dagger on a table beside his chair. "Firstly I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you before, I have no doubt in your abilities." This surprised Garrett, he didn't let it show however. "Somehow I don't think you're sinciere." He said coolly. "What! Why would you have any reason to doubt me?" "Your relationship with Donavan is too equal, I think you're trying to sell him out on whatever you two are planning to do with the Vestrius once I get the second half. Why is the Vestrius so important? What does it do?" he pressed "That is not your concern!" She snapped. "Oh but it is. I am your link to it, if I am dissatisfied with your explanation I may refuse to do this." He said, smirking "Your threat is empty Garrett. Your desire for wealth certainly overrides any curiosity you may have as to the use of your comission." She said plainly. "You seem to know me well Galen, yes I will take the job, even if you do not tell me about the Vestrius. But, I am perfectly capable of making things much more expensive for you. Now, what is the Vestrius for?" "Your arrogance astounds me! You will not demand anything of me you conceited bastard!" She snarled. "Now there's the Galen I know." Garrett said. Galen stopped herself short. "Very well, I apologize for my outburst, but I cannot reveal the use of the Vestrius to you, not yet." Garrett let it drop for the moment. 

She sighed. "I will be frank with you Mister Garrett I had another motive for coming here tonight." She looked up at him, the cold intensity gone from here eyes to be replaced by something quite strange…warmth. "You see Mister Garrett I have an…attraction to you." She stood from the chair and advanced on him. "It is one that I find hard to control, I felt I must see you, it is a desire I have felt the moment I laid eyes on you." She gripped the arms of the chair and leaned her face in close to Garrett's. He could smell her perfume, the cloying scent that stirred even his dead nerves. For a moment he felt the desire grip him, deep in the pit of his stomach he wanted her. Then he saw it, beyond the temptation of her body, his guess was right, she wanted his loyalty, if he got the Vestrius piece and handed it over to her, she could have whatever it would get her and Donavan, all for herself. She could avoid any unplesantness through dealing with Donavan by aquiring the pieces through Garrett. As he thought this she pressed her lips against his. He held this for the briefest of seconds before breaking away from her. She tried again to kiss him, he ducked and slithered out of his chair and stood up. "This is incredible! First you're angry, then you attempt to seduce me, and throughout it all you believe I am so stupid as to not notice your trickery?! I know exactly what you are trying to do Galen. It won't work, my body feels no need for physical pleasure. As for the Vestrius, my payment lies with Donavan, I am loyal to my employer. Now, get out." She stared for a moment at him in disbelief. Then the burning intensity flared in her eyes. "Very well, I will not jeapordize my chances of appropriating the Vestrius by doing anything foolish here, but mark my words." She said, driving every word into him. "You will regret this." With that she yanked her coat off the hook and stormed out the door slamming it with a crash. Garrett just stood in the centre of the room, staring. Then he slumped into a chair. _Damnit. Twice this week I've pushed away two women. I feel no guilt or loss, they are foreign terms to me. Yet somehow I feel as though I've made a mistake somewhere._ He stared into the fire, the magical fire. He watched it for a long time until its magic flickered and died, thinking. Finally he stood. _I'm getting my money and that's all that matters. To hell with feeling._ With that he continued to prepare his equipment, unperturbed.


	4. Wealth, Politics, and Connections

The eve of the ball finally came. The full moon waxed in the sky, casting its pale light above the city. Garrett dressed and placed his equipment in their hidden places on his person. The coach arrived at his apartments at eight o'clock. Garrett boarded the grey coach, handing the payment to the expectant driver. He sat in the enclosed cabin with the curtains drawn as the coachman spurred the two horses into motion. The coach rattled down the cobblestone street and away. At length it stopped. Garrett peered out through the silk curtains. He could just see the base of what looked like a tall drum, stone tower. Two freestanding torches flanked a wooden door at the front which opened, shining a bright light onto the ground. Two figures stood in the doorway. The conversed for a moment before one left and the other shut the door. Galen strode up to the carriage door and entered. She was not wearing he red robes. Instead she wore a black fur coat overtop of her dress. The dress was pure white of the finest silk. A gold sash tied around the waist was the only adornment to it. Her copper hair hung down to her shoulders, shining. She wore two diamond stud earrings and the only visible make-up on her face was the soft-toned lipstick. She didn't need any other make-up. She closed her coat as she walked, covering her dress. She entered the coach cabin and sat across from Garrett in silence. Garrett pulled the door shut and the coach started off again. They rode in silence for a while, glancing coldly at each other on occasion. Finally Galen broke the silence. "This is a buisness agreement and, as such, we must converse as buisness associates to accomplish our mission successfully, therefore I will say nothing about previous incidents between us and will speak objectively." Garrett just looked sullenly at her. "Now, Xavier, while you are fufilling your part of our agreement I will be covering your absence, however, you must first give a valid excuse for me to work with and we must set the scene." "I will claim that I must use the lavatory." Garrett responded tonelessly. "That will not hold forever we need something more urgent." Galen replied. There was silence for a moment as both of them pondered the situation. "What if you claimed you needed to resolve a personal matter with Richard? He will most likely leave at some point, at which time you can pretend to follow him." She said. Garrett thought about this for a moment and then nodded his head in agreement. "Claim it is a buisness agreement of some sort." She added. The carriage came to a halt and they heard the voice of the driver and another person, though they could not make out the words. After a moment they heard a loud grating sound and a few more words and then the carriage moved on. "We must be entering the property." Galen said peering out the carriage windows at the darkened lawns of Richard's acreage. "Oh, and Xavier, you are a noble, act like one." Galen said. Moments later the coach stopped and the door was pulled open. Galen stepped delicately out of the carriage, taking the offered hand of the servant holding the door. The man was dressed in a dark blue livery and overcoat. Garrett stepped out behind her. They stood in front of the main house. A low platform served as the porch for two tall oaken double doors which were thrown wide, allowing golden light to spill out. The carriage was stopped on a large cobbled circle, which ran around a marble fountain in the center. A number of other coachs were parked around the circle their drivers conversing spiritedly with each other. The lawns stretched out on either side, divided from the cobble by a waist-high hedge. A balcony on the second floor was supported by four marble pillars set into the platform on the porch, creating an overhang above the platform, which was decorated by various potted plants. The night was warm and peaceful, from within Garrett could hear the voices of the guests and the sound of music, wafting out the doors and many windows along with the smell of various foods. Two guards flanked the doors, dressed in slightly more serviable blue suits than the servants. They both held aloft pikes and carried swords at their sides. Looking to either side Garrett could make out the dark shapes of patrolling gaurds on the lawns. He tucked his pace stick securly under his arm and held his other hand out to Galen, who took it in her own. They strode up to the doors as their coach pulled away. The two door gaurds dipped their pikes in greeting which made Garrett tense. He forced himself to calm his heightened nerves and keep his expression cool. He and Galen walked into the entrance hall which was lit by the light of four crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. The floor was polished black and white checkered tile. A servant stood behind a wooden podium to the left side of the entrance. "Your names sir and madam?" "I am mistress Galen Sisendow and this is my escort Xavier Hollan." She replied, her voice smooth as the silk she wore. The man checked his guest list and nodded. "Very good, miss Galen the ball is in the room behind me." He said, gesturing to the tall stone arch in the left wall of the entrance hall. Galen nodded to him and she and Garrett moved through the doors and into the ballroom. Another two guards flanked the arch carrying swords this time. The pair stepped through the arch an into the ballroom. The room was similar to the entrance, with its polished checkard tiles and chandeliers. There was also a very large marble balcony to the right. This could be reached by two curved staircases on either side of the balcony. Various doors and arches led off the room into other areas of the house both on and below the balcony. The room had various paintings, busts, and suits of armor displayed around the room. To the left of the entrance, the wall was dominated by floor to ceiling windows. The room was packed full of richly clothed nobles and opulently dressed merchants. Some dancing to the melodic sounds of the band, which was set up on a small wooden platform near the far wall, next to the tables of food. The cusine was both delicate and expensive. Sweet meats, and mellow cheeses, delicate fish wrapped in leaves, wafer thin crackers, seasoned pork wedges smothered in wine sauce, spiced pickles and olives. The list continues. All of it was complemented by a plethora of wines of various vintages. Conversations buzzed about the room, politics, wealth, connections, all of the usual topics were abound. 

Garrett and Galen moved amongst the guests, of which many eyed them with interest. Galen leaned in and whispered into Garrett's ear. "We must engage in some sort of dialogue with someone before we become the subject of too many eyes." Garrett just nodded, his expression still quite blank, despite the effort he made to smile, his nerves just did not want to obey. They strode past and elderly couple and Garrett paused almost impreceptibly and relieved the woman of her purse. Galen whispered again. "There, Lord Dumont and his wife, I have had dealings with them before, they will do." Garrett looked over at the pair she nodded towards. The man was about Garrett's height and quite handsome, being in his twenties. His black hair slicked flat on his head. He wore a light, tight fitting shirt of emerald green, complemented by a very finely weaved pair of black trousers. His wife stood next to him, dressed in a very demure outfit of black satin, which held effortlessly to the contours of her slim figure. Her blonde hair contrasted her dress quite ravishingly. They were speaking to another couple. The man, was dressed in a sharp blue military suit, trimmed with gold and heavy with medals. He was fairly old, being bald and dotted with liver spots. Yet still he seemed quick witted and devious. His wife was dressed in a shockingly pink dress, adorned with every sort of gilding imaginable, so that she seemed swathed in a flowing sea of pink. Her golden locks feel loosely behind her pudgy face. Galen and Garrett approached the group. "Ah monsieur Dumont, a pleasure it is to meet you once again." Galen said curtsying slightly. "Ah, miss Galen Sisendow. So good to see you again, I'm sure you remember my wife Sarah?" He queried as he took Galen's hand in his own and kissed it. "Indeed I do sir, Mrs Dumont, I trust you are in good keeping?" Galen said, turning to her. "I am, thank you for asking miss Sisendow." She replied politely. "I don't believe I have met your escort this evening miss Galen." At this Garrett spoke as confidently and easily as he could manage. "I am Xavier Hollan, representative for the Loqumian trading guild well met mister Dumont." At this the man in the military uniform spoke up. "Xavier…aren't you supposed to be dead?" This brought small laughter from the Dumonts and the man's wife. Garrett smiled, an effort to say the least. The laughter subsided. "Oh pardon me lad, where are my manners. I am Colonel Montgomery Faulswitz and this is my wife, Helen." "Pleased to make your aquaintance mister Hollan." She said. Garrett nodded to her. "I say Galen, where have you been hiding all this time, I haven't seen your in several months." Mister Dumont said. "Oh you know me Gregory, the courts are a dangerous place. Ever since Edward became Lord Governor its been nothing but a web of intrigue and subterfuge, not something I want to get tangled in." Galen replied. "Indeed." Said mister Dumont. At this, the Colonel interjected "It is rumoured that there are several factions which have been plotting Edward's downfall. Including House Reveriat and House Janqout." He said. "Its all because of that import excise Edward imposed last month. Now the Reveriats and the Janqouts won't be able to keep up their stock of Zari spice without a serious drain in their funds." Mister Dumont nodded. "Quite so, now their only source for the substance is through illegal smuggling which is also costing them a significant amount." "I beg to differ." Galen said. "The guilds are making a roaring trade is wholesale goods since the Fermian Act was passed. The merchants aren't going to let that slip away with Edward. I believe several independants and a few guilds will all be watching his back." "If that is so, then we may have a House War on our hands." Said mister Dumont. "It looks that way, although we can't forget about the Kelly's. Their proposal of the appointment of a city council to advise the Lord Governor, may appease both sides." This came from the Colonel. "I don't think so mister Faulswitz." Said Sarah. "The Kelly's don't have enough influence to give any weight to their proposal. I believe that House Crennelin will be the deciding factor in this matter. The marriage of Lord Crennelin's son, Peter, to Edward's second daughter Elizabeth will give them a hand in who wins this altercation. Considering that Crennelin still owns several shares of various guilds I am fairly sure Edward will stay in power a while longer." Sarah smiled as she ended her point and sipped a deep red wine from a crystal tumbler she had received from one of the servants. At this remark she, Galen and Faulswitz's wife turned to discuss the alleged relation of Peter to a serving girl of House Reveriat and the associated scandals. "So Xavier, what are the guilds up to lately? Any new developments?" Garrett had been reading the paper each night for the past week in preperation to play the part of a well informed guild member. He had done well. "The price of textiles is down ever since the Fermian Act taxing luxury goods. There don't seem to be any buyers. Metals, both refined and unrefined are up, as is grain, paper , clean spice, lumber, and uncut gems. Prices of skins are as high as ever and exports are down on blackpowder in preperation for General Uberoth's invasion overseas." Garrett finished. Mister Dumont looked stunned. "Gods man you sound like the papers, here, have a drink before you collapse." Dumont handed him a glass. Faulswitz chuckled. "It really is a shame about the Fermian Act, this Dornian Port Wine is quite good." He said sipping from his glass. "What year is it? 42'?" Dumont asked. "43' actually, really Gregory, I thought you were a better judge of drink." The Colonel admonished mockingly. "Well, you can't blame me can you. I usually drink Cal-Obernion, much sweeter than this." Dumont replied. "A man who excuses himself is polite, a man who makes excuses for himself is not a man." Faulswitz quoted. "Very nice, do you read Porthios's works often?" Dumont said. "Indeed I always liked the man's style, very classic." "Classic is not the word I would have used." Dumont scoffed, sipping from his glass. The Colonel ignored his snide remark. "Hollan, you look like a man who appreciates antique weaponry." Faulswitz said, changing the subject abruptly. "Here we go again." Dumont said sardonically. The Colonel ignored him again. "I've always been fond of the exotic weaponry to be found in the world these days. One of my personal favorites being the Hiro Marcosis. Its basically a mechanical weapon, which appears to be a simple albeit, thick, dagger. The blade is quite long, about twenty half-units from tip to base. When someone is stabbed by the Hiro Marcosis, the blade splits into two halves and bends back on itself on interior hinges. The wielder then pulls the blade back towards himself, lodging it deep into his opponent and causing excruciating pain and death in most cases. An ingenious and deadly weapon, I own one myself actually." Garrett nodded. "You have excellent taste in weaponry Colonel Faulswitz. Though I do prefer something a tad more functional." "I see, and that would be?" "A broadsword." Garrett said. "I've never liked the sword myself, too unbalanced, I much prefer the short-handled axes."

The conversation continued for quite a while, hopping from various subjects, mostly politics and the subterfuge involved. One of the larger stories being that Edward had attained his position as Lord Governor through his wife helping him murder her former husband, the previous Lord Governor, after she had been having an affair with Edward. The chief method in everyone's mind was that she had hired an assassin to poison the man. Although, there was talk of her doing it herself by smothering him after their lovemaking one night. In any case he had been found lying dead in his bed one morning and shortly thereafter his wife had petitioned for Edward, son of a wealthy house, to take his place. To futher the current intrigue, it seemed that Edward had come from House Janqout. This relation to their current displeasure with his rule, led many to believe that the house had turned their back on him after some sort of falling out. There were many other stories, traitors and tyrants, assassins and legislation, all fell under scrutiny of the many attendees of the ball. There was most likely three separate plots and a conspiracy being concocted at that very event. Yet it all went unnoticed by Garrett who passed the time in the company of Dumont and Faulswitz with the occasional interlude of a curious passerby. 

All the while, Garrett kept his eye on Richard. Galen had pointed him out early on as he flowed amongst the guests bantering with each in turn. Even dancing a spirited waltz with one of the ladies. He was a fairly pudgy character, though not nearly as obease as some of the other opulent guests Garrett had seen. He wore a deep blue silk shirt, low cut and bedecked in ruffles. He also wore baggy pantaloons of purple and high, black boots. He had a single golden amulet strung around his neck and a brace of rings on either hand. His face was also rich and portly and his hair was a light black, both on his head and in the moustache he so elegantly fingered and slicked. He was waiting for the moment when Richard would leave. It came. Richard turned and left the hall through one of the doors. Garrett turned and made sure that Dumont and Faulswitz knew he was going to talk to Richard and could plainly see Richard leaving. His excuse worked. As he started off he nodded to Galen. The real work was about to begin.


	5. Time to go to Work

As Garrett strode up the marble stairs to the balcony overlooking the dance hall, he contemplated. _Gods! Do these nobles have anything more boring to talk about besides politics and trade? It's a wonder they keep their heads propped up while they talk!_ _Bah! no matter, time to go to work._ He walked confidently out of the hall, the music fading out behind him. The corridor was wide and the occasional guest stood leaning against the wall sipping some wine, or chatting in lowered tones with someone else. Garrett leaned against the wall near a doorframe. When he was sure nobody was looking he twisted the handle and went inside. It was a darkened living room. He made his way through, ever so quietly, and exited out the door at the other end. He was at a junture in the another hallway, the half-pannelled corridor led off to the left and right. Garrett took the left passage and arrived at an open area in the hall with passages leading off in every direction. A guard stood against the wall chatting to a serving girl who giggled and wrung her dress tightly in her hands. As Garrett approched the guard looked up and quietly spoke something to the girl who flounced off, smiling. The guard turned to address Garrett. "Sir, it is the demand of mister van Wyker that all guests remain in the ballroom." Garrett strode up to him and beckoned him to listen. "You see, the thing about that i-. Quick as a flash Garrett grabbed the man and twirled him around, slamming him face first into the wall several times. The man fell unconcious to the floor as Garrett let him drop. He grabbed the man's wrist and dragged him into a hall closet. He left him laying on the floor and closed the door. He walked back to the man's post and opened a set of doubledoors with square panes of glass set into them. He arrived on a stone balcony overlooking the inner courtyard. The courtyard was fairly small and the balcony ran in a square around it, supported by pillars on the first floor and overhung by the roof. The courtyard was a central cobblestone area surrounded by flowerbeds, trees, and open lawns of dark grass. In the center was a statue of some famous person, one hand outstreteched to the sky above. There were around four guards, each on standing beneath the balcony, facing towards the center of the courtyard. Another two were on the otherside of the atrium created by the balcony and the house looming up around it. 

Garrett ducked low behind the balcony wall and made his way around to the right-side, exiting through a door there. He moved down another hallway and up a flight of steps at the end of the hall. He reached the top and started down another hallway when he heard footsteps. He ducked into a sideroom and waited until two guards passed him. He exited and went down the way they had come. He reached another T-intersection and took a left. As he did so he heard the sounds of more steps around the corner. He again ducked into a sideroom but as he peeked out of a crack in the door he saw the guards coming towards the room. The door hinges were on the outside forcing someone to pull the door open out into the hall giving Garrett no chance of hiding behind the door as it opened. He leapt onto a small side table and jumped, easily catching the ceiling beam with the assistance of his boots. He hung there upside down and motionless, gripping the beam with his legs and hands. The door opened moments after he had done this and three guards walked in, talking loudly. They stopped and sat in the various furniture in the room conversing easliy and laughing uproriously quite frequently. Garrett could feel his grip weakening from the strain. Slowly, his hands began to slip off the beam. First one went, then the other, he was now hanging by his legs only. They to soon began to give way. Then, went at last he could hold on no longer he jumped, pushing off quietly but firmly from the beam. He cockscrewed through the air, robbing himself of forward momentum at the appropriate time when he had just finished passing over the guard's heads. He landed behind the couch they sat on with a muffled thump, hands splaying against the carpet. The guards stopped talking as Garrett lay there, trying to control his breathing. "Hey, did you guys hear somethin'?" one said "I ain't heard nothin'" the second replied "Yeah, ya bloody taffer! Getting yourself all worked up 'bout nuthin'." The third agreed. "Shattup! I thought I heard something." The first said indignantly. With that they resumed their regular conversation. Garrett crawled quietly away and out a nearby door. 

He retraced his steps back to the hall he had been in and went in his original direction. He came upon the room he was looking for, the bathroom. He pressed his ear against the door to make sure there was nobody inside before entering. He opened the small window behind the toilet and stood up on the seat. He scrunched himself up as small as possible, tucking all his equipment close to his body. He sucked in a breath of air, and the thrust himself through headfirst. His middle stuck for a moment as his dagger caught on the frame. He pulled it straight and continued until he was out to his waist. He turned over onto his back, and grabbed the overhanging roof. He pulled his legs from the window and scrambled over the gutter. The night air was still quite warm, with a slight breeze feeling cool on the face. Garrett stood and walked along the sloped, tiled roof. The roof of a tower jutted out above the landscape of roofing. It was this tower which Garrett made for. He kept to the center of the roof in case a guard decided to take a look up. He leapt from roof to roof and made his way over to the tower. At length he arrived at the tower roof. Reaching into his cloak he removed the coil of rope and secured it to a narrow chimmney stack sticking out from the tower roof. Bracing his feet against the wall he rappelled himself down a floor, touching down lightly on the window sill. He peered into the lit office. Richard sat at his desk, going over some parchments. The room was finely furnished and lit by the flickering light of the fire which crackled in the hearth. The oaken desk, which Richard sat at was covered with typical study items and to the left of the window were bookshelves dominating one corner of the room, from floor to low ceiling. Paintings decorated the walls and various items of value were displayed proudly on marble pedestals. The fireplace mantle held more collectibles and a glass case containing an antique sword was set in the wall above it.

Garrett had not counted on the office being occupied. This would change things slightly. He pulled his dagger from its sheath and slid it into the crack between the shutters, lifting the latch. He pushed the windows open and entered silently, leaving the rope dangling outside. He pulled his blackjack from it's concealed place on his person and crept up behind Richard. Garrett dealt him a swift blow and he slumped forward onto his desk, unconcious. He pulled the man's unconcious form off the desk so that he slumped back in his chair. Garrett flicked through the papers on the desk and when he found nothing related to the Vestrius, he began searching the desk drawers. Still he found no sign of any document relating to the Vestrius. He searched most of the room, disturbing as little as possible, yet still he found nothing. Garrett stood in the center and turned slowly around, examining every feature of the office. Then he noticed the painting. It was of a large predatory cat of some sort, orange with black stripes covered it's back. "_A tiger I believe they call it._" Garrett thought. The picture was crooked and looked as though it had been moved around somewhat. There was also a chip in the frame, not the kind of care a collector like van Wyker would give to one of his prized possesions. He went over and lifted the painting from it's peg. A metal door was set into the wall behind it. The door was studded with metal dots around the perimeter and there was a long handle set above a keyhole to the left of the door. "_Why do they always hide them behind the paintings?_" Garrett thought as he unfurled his lockpick set. He went to work, switching through several different picks quite often. Eventually after much work the lock clicked. He turned the handle and pulled the door open. Inside was a small stack of coins and a few expensive gems on satin cloths. Garrett took these without hesitation. He then turned his attention to the papers that were in the safe. It wasn't until he got to the bottom of the very back pile that he found what he was seeking. It was a yellowed envelope stamped with the wax seal of the Moonshadow's guild (a cresent moon with a cloaked figure as it's shadow). There were words written in flowing script on the front.

__

Richard van Wyker

Concerning the Vestrius

The seal had been broken. Garrett opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.

__

Richard

Recently you requested to purchase a certain artifact in the possession of the Moonshadow guild. The Vestrius. While your offer of 10,000 was quite tempting. I'm afraid that there are other matters and endeavours which our guild is concerned with, that, require the Vestrius to be kept in our possesion. I hope you are not to concerned with our refusal. We still have a wealth of other items for sale which, we are sure you would be interested in. Should you wish to peruse these items in detail, I cordially extend the welcome of the guild to visit our premises whenever you please. However, there are certain conditions which we ask you to abide by. Firstly, this letter must be kept in the safest place you possibly have available to yourself. Secondly, there are procedures you must go through in order to enter out guildhouse. We would not want uninvited guests to enter our halls. Therefore, listen carefully to these next instructions. To enter our guild, you must go to the dockside tavern "Three Mugs". Talk to the bartender and ask for today's special. There is no special on the menu, so he will know what your talking about. He will lead you into an alleyway behind the bar. Here, you must go to the brick wall at the end and speak the password: golden rod. The hidden doors will slide open and a guild member will let you in. He will allow you entrance to the guildhouse and be your guide.

Those are all the required procedures for entering our halls. Now, the last condition of your visit is that you bring nobody with you on this visit. There are many items within our guildhouse that would not be taken lightly if certain people were to know that we had these items in our possession. You, we can trust but you must bring no other being with you. Other than these conditions, you have complete access to our guild and we hope you will honor us with the pleasure of your company soon.

Marlow Crick

Public Realations Contact

Garrett smiled in triumph as he finished the letter. He folded in back up and slide it into his jacket. Closing the safe, he turned and made for the window. He reached out to grab the rope when three arrows thunked into the roof near his head. He ducked back inside. From below he could hear shouts. "Intruder! Intruder in the house! Quickly, this way!" Garrett cursed. He could hear the guards to the office doors pounding on them. "Sir! What's going on sir?! Sir?!" "It's not openin', break it down!" The pounding became louder as they put their boots to the task. Garrett reached into his jacket and snatched up the gas mine. He twisted the gear underneath the mine and flung it to the floor in front of the doors. It clacked loudly as it armed. He leapt behind the desk as the doors flew open, the broken lock mechanism bursting from the frame. The two guards rushed in, swords drawn. One of them touched off the mine. It hissed as the pressure in the gas comparment released and the top opened. A cloud of green gas billowed out, enveloping the two men. They stopped dead and one after the other, fell unconcious in a heap on the floor. The gas dissipated in seconds and Garrett stood and ran for the door.

Throughout the house he could hear alarm bells ringing and the hurrying of feet along corridor floors. He ran for the nearest door and ran inside leaping furniture as he passed through. He reached the other end and dashed out into the hallway. Ahead was a wooden staircase ringed with a bannister. As his eyes fell upon it, three guards came pounding up. They shouted when they saw him. Garrett ran around to the backside of the bannister and vaulted it. He landed with a thump on the stairs below. His balance lost he began to tip backwards. He turned this momentum into a backwards flip which carried him to the bottom of the stairs. The guards turned and blundered back down. Garrett was off like a shot. He raced through the house dodging guards and servants. Eventually he reached the inner courtyard balcony. Having momentarily lost his pursuers he stopped for a moment to breath. A mistake. No less than five men exited across the atrium on the other side of the balcony. Three nocked arrows to their strings while the other two each ran around the balcony sides, swords drawn. Garrett turned to run back the way he came. At that moment a group of guards appeared at the door. He turned and looked at the overhanging roof. Without a second thought he grabbed the gutter rim and flipped himself up to the roof. The three guards with bows fired at him as he stood. He dove aside as the arrows clattered against the roof shingles. He backed up and took a running leap off the roof. His boots carried him a great deal farther than he otherwise could have jumped. His form sailed through the air and he landed rather unsteadily perched upon the head of the statue. The guards on the balcony fired again. Two of the arrows whizzed by close to his head and the third deflected off the statue. 

Suddenly, the four doors on the ground level of the courtyard burst open and in flooded more men from every direction. They dispersed around the courtyard. All carried loaded bows aimed steadily at him. Garrett stood and raised his hands in surrender. They hesitated, lacking any real leadership. He used that moment to his advantage. He leaned slightly forward as if to lose his balance, the flashbomb he carried slipped out of his pocket and into his hand which he brought down to steady himself. He quickly slipped it partway up his sleeve. As he regained his stability the captain of the watch entered the courtyard. He looked up and saw Garrett's upraised hands. "You, come down here now!" Garrett nodded and made to climb down, the bowmen tracking him as he did so, then he stood back up. "How do I know you won't just kill me?" The officer replied without hesitation. "You don't, but you can be sure I will have you shot if you don't come down here NOW!" Garrett smiled and nodded. He bent down again, this time letting the flashbomb slide down his sleeve into his hand. He let it drop. As it fell he squeezed his eyes shut. There was a loud bang and seconds later a plethora of curses and screams as the bowmen concentrating so hard on him were momentarily blinded by the flash. They dropped their bows and staggered around, clutching at their eyes.

As the first few regained their sight they looked back up at the statue. The empty statue.

Garrett raced through the corridors. He came upon a guard who had not yet seen the criminal. "sir! What's happening?" He asked Garrett. Garrett pointed back at the courtyard. "The thief…he…disappeared." He gasped out. "That's preposterous! He couldn't have just vanished!" The guard exclaimed. He moved up to Garrett and started to help him to a chair. "I'm telling you he's gone an-" Garrett slammed an open palm into the surprised man's forehead. He staggered back, his helmet falling from his head. The guard tried to blink away the coloured spots exploding in his vision. Garrett kicked high, smashing his boot into the guard's face. He did a pirouette and slammed into the wall, sliding limply to the ground. Garrett dragged the body into a nearby closet. A minute later he strode out wearing the guards heavy chainmail tunic, tabard, and leggings. He grabbed the man's helmet from the floor and strode off towards the ballroom.

The guests had all been herded into the center of the room and were being watched by a large amount of guards. Garrett walked in a little unsteadily, sweating heavily inside his disguise. The ragged wool tabard made him itch. The man in charge walked up to him as he entered. Garrett threw him a clumsy salute. "What the hell are you saluting me for you taffer? I'm a stand-in fool!" Garrett cursed inwardly and mumbled an apology, pulling his helmet over his face as far as possible. The man eyed him suspiciously. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be searching the house with the others?" "The captain says I'm to come assist in guarding the guests." Garrett said as gruffly as possible. "Why? We have more than enough men." Garrett began to sweat more as he felt the man's gaze on him. "He..uh..he want's me to guard the…uh…guests and…uh question some of them since they might know something about the intruder." Garrett said. He felt stupid even as he said it but decided to see if he could bluff his way through. "Why would they know anything about the thief?" the man questioned. "They might be a contact of his o-." The man cut him off. "They wouldn't know anything about him, listen your story doesn't check out I-" One of the guests spoke up, it was Galen. "Excuse me sir, but I must retrieve an item from my carriage, all this excitement has got me in quite a tizzy." "Madam I'm terribly sorry but my orders are that no one is to leave the ballroom alone until we are cleared to let you go." The guard replied. "Then why not send your friend there, I'm sure you wouldn't want a friend of your master going without." "Well I..uh…" The guard stammered. "Because men like Richard tend to listen to the needs of their friends. And if I were to need to get my things I'm sure he would allow me to. Or were I to need him to fire a certain guard he would listen without question, being my friend and such." The man gulped. "I have…uh…reconsidered the issue and I see no problem with sending you to your carriage, after all you will be with a guardsman." Galen smiled. "Wonderful, then I will take your man there and be off, don't worry sir, I will be back shortly." "Ahem…yes of course." He whispered to Garrett as he started to walk off. "I'll deal with you later." He strode out into the entrance hall with Galen beside him. She remained silent, her face an impassive mask. 

They passed out into the warm night air of the front yard. Guards patrolled amongst the carriages, their drivers sitting quietly at their spots. Garrett led Galen on, avoiding most of the guards as inconspicuously as possible. They came to their carriage. The driver looked down from his seat at them. Garrett stepped up to him. "We need you to take us out of here as quietly and quickly as possible. Can you do that?" The man looked at him. "Sorry pal, but I value my life." Garrett reached into his tunic and pulled out the old woman's purse he lifted at the start of the party. He dropped the purse into the man's hand. "The driver looked at the purse and smiled. "But I value gold as well…get inside." Garrett nodded and pulled open the carriage door. Galen stepped inside and Garrett sat up front next to the driver. The carriage began moving down the path to the gates, the driver urging the horses on gently. The guards around the wagons started towards the carriage but Garrett stooped them with an upraised hand to indicate that the man was allowed. They moved back to their posts muttering and staring at the carriage as it moved off into the darkness. The carriage bumped off down the path. They reached the gate in moments. The guards there had been recalled to join in the search. Garrett stepped down and pushed them open. He remounted and the carriage rode out into the street and away. They were free.


	6. The Crippled Burrick Pub

****

Chapter 6

The carriage dropped Garrett off in front of his house. Galen opened the carriage door as Garrett jumped from the frontboard. "There is no time to discuss whatever you discovered or failed to discover, I must return home at once. Come to Donovan's manor three days from now, I will be waiting there to hear from you." Without waiting for him to reply she slammed the coach door shut and it clattered off down the street and around the corner. Garrett simply turned and went to his apartment door. He arrived in the staircase in front of his flat. As he came up the stairs he saw something glint at the top of the stairs. He stopped moving completely. Slowly he lowered himself so that he was flat on his stomach on the stairs. The chainmail he wore clinked slightly and he wished desperately for his cloak. With surreptitious caution he pulled himself up the stairs, keeping his chest raised from touching the stairs so that the mail wouldn't jingle. He reached the top and looked over the edge. In the flickering light of a single torch mounted in the hall he saw the cause of the glint. A dagger was jammed into his door, through the center of a note. He stood up and walked to the door, looking around cautiously, lest the messenger be waiting to deliver more than just a note. He yanked the dagger out and looked at the note. It was written in a very sloppy hand and splotched with several dark stains. Garrett whiffed the note and took the stains to be some sort of liquor. He read the note.

Garrett

It has come to my attention that you have been selling your services to one Donovan Fendrich. You were commissioned by him to acquire an item of value, the Vestrius, if I remember correctly. In any case, whatever he is paying you, I can triple it. I have a great interest in this item and I would not want you to go uninformed as to its true value. Should you wish to take me up on my offer I will be waiting at the Crippled Burrick pub near the market square. I will be waiting inside at twelve noon sharp. I will be wearing a white rose. Come with the Vestrius piece you have. I have nothing more to say, except that it would be wise to take my offer.

The note was unmarked, Garrett hadn't expected it to be signed in any case, people like that didn't get to where they were by being stupid. The biggest thing that scared Garrett was that they knew where he lived. Disclosing his address was the last thing he would ever do. Garrett unlocked his door and went inside. Thinking. _This smells rotten. But then, everything in this city smells rotten. I told Galen I was loyal to my employer…I lied. My employer is the highest bidder and always will be. The reward outweighs the risk in this case, I think its worth checking out. Triple 8000…excellent. But…why does it feel like everyone but me knows something? I feel used, and I hate it. Oh well, nothing to do but press on._

Garrett removed the disgusting smelling uniform and donned a clean set of trousers and a dark blue tunic. He placed his loot and equipment in the secret compartment and grabbed something to eat from his kitchen. With that he turned in.

In the morning he rose late, around 10 o'clock. He had breakfast and at eleven thirty he left for the pub. With him he took his dagger and also his broadsword, boots and a flashbomb. Lastly, he took the Vestrius piece he had kept hidden, and placed it into the leather cylinder. This he hooked to his belt. He deigned not to wear his cloak. If he needed to disappear into the crowd, wearing a black cloak amongst a group of plainly dressed commoners would make him stick out like a sore thumb. Instead he wore a light brown tunic and gray trousers. His sword hung at his side in its sheath, his dagger in his boot, and the flashbomb in his sleeve. As he walked the streets he felt exposed. He was unaccustomed to walking in plain daylight. The feeling was uncomfortable, as though all eyes were upon him, scrutinizing his every action. He reached the pub five minutes early and so lingered outside until the stroke of 12, denoted by the bell tower ringing off in the distance. He strode into the pub.

Even at noon the place was filled with people: drinking, laughing and talking. The bar was lit well enough, and there was the music in the air coming from an antique sound capture device sitting on the bar countertop. Garrett moved through the press of tables and bodies. He felt the scrutiny of others upon him even more in here, and truly not all of that fear was uncalled for. As Garrett pushed through yet another group of men he saw his contact…and balked. 

Emilio Cathegar was a noble of no small repute. He owned several estates around the city and two in the countryside. He had his hand in various merchant guilds around the city and had made himself wealthy in doing so. Not that he was a businessman. He hired others to do his work, and therein lay his secret. He was a motivator of people, he directed from behind the scenes, the chessmaster himself. He sat in a booth near the back of the bar. He wore a short coat of deep red overtop a black shirt and matching trousers. Upon his head was perched a black bowler hat, the sides of his short-cropped black hair peeking out from under it. His hazel eyes glinted cunningly as he peered around the crowd, the white flower sitting pretty against the red of his coat. Sitting in the booth next to him was his hired muscle. The man was big and broad shouldered. He wore a suit of black and nothing else. 

But it wasn't the fact that Emilio Cathegar was powerful that scared Garrett. It was the fact that the Vestrius piece Garrett owned belonged to him. It was one of his country mansions that Garrett had infiltrated to steal the first half of the Vestrius. He didn't know what the hell Emilio was playing at but he needed to be somewhere else, fast. He turned to move back into the crowd but bumped straight into someone's chest. Garrett looked up. Another of Emilio's muscle men stood towering in front of him. Without a word he turned Garrett around like a child and pushed him towards the booth. As Garrett moved he looked over his shoulder and could just catch a glimpse of another muscle man standing watch by the front door. _Damnit! How could I be so stupid!_ Garrett thought as he walked towards the booth, the muscle man on his heels.

Emilio's eyes glittered as Garrett sat down opposite him and his companion. The man who had led him to the booth stood with his arms crossed behind Garrett. Emilio smiled the kind of smile a predator wears before devouring its prey. "Garrett, so glad you decided to join me, drink?" "…No" "Fair enough." Emilio said and waved one of his men away to the bar. "So what shall I do with you Garrett?" "I assumed you called me here to tell me that." Garrett replied his face a stoic mask. "I called you here to repossess some of my property. Where is it?" Emilio said, still smiling. "What? No more light chitchat? And I was so getting to like the sound of your voice." Garrett said stonily. Emilio laughed quietly. His bodyguard returned and placed a foamy tankard of drink in front of Emilio who took a drink. He set the mug back down. "Well we have plenty of time to…extract the item from you." Emilio said. "Why did you bring me here? You could have just searched my place. Why wait?" "Excellent question, I do so like it when I may explain my own ingenuity. You see Garrett; I did this to humiliate you. You, the great Garrett, master thief." He sneered. " To be caught like this is a mark on your reputation, unfortunately, it is to be the last." " I'm glad you're enjoying the show." Garrett said humorlessly. "You have no idea. But, I am not so stupid as to jeopardize something as precious as the Vestrius for simple show. You see there was no way I could have found something so valuable in the home of a thief. So, rather than tip my hand by searching your place and possibly leaving empty-handed, I used your own greed as a tool, and lo and behold here you are! I applaud your compliance." He clapped his hands; the sound rang in Garrett's ears like a mocking laugh.

"But, before we complete our business, I would like to ask you about some of your own cleverness." "My simple tricks could never measure up to the cunning maneuvers you have pulled." Garrett said sardonically. Emilio ignored the comment. "My sentinel skull, how did you avoid it's gaze?" "Removed its eyes." Garrett said. "Yes, I saw that, but how?" "From behind." "Í see. Well, this has been an enjoyable conversation. I would have quite relished conversing with you in greater detail. But now, I'm afraid, we must return to the business at hand. The Vestrius Garrett, now." His eyes hardened. Garrett showed no sign of moving. He stared straight into Emilio's eyes. Emilio sighed. "Must you make things difficult?" He said. Emilio looked to the man standing behind Garrett. "Take him outside." The man moved to grab Garrett. 

It was then that Garrett chose to move. He leapt upwards, catching the low ceiling support. Garrett scissored his legs outwards. His left foot kicked the man in the booth next to Emilio who had risen. The man's head snapped back and he fell back into the booth, clutching at his face. His right foot caught the man behind him under the chin. The man flew backwards a foot and landed on his back. Garrett dropped from the beam and leapt over the man lying prone on the floor. Emilio yelled for the doorman to stop him. He pushed his way through the crowd, slamming bodies out of his way. He saw the henchman guarding the door appear in front of him. He made a grab for Garrett who ducked under his arms and ran. The man was hard on his heels, pushing through the crowd, which was now milling around confused and with much shouting. Garrett grabbed a table and flung in to the ground behind him as he darted off. The henchman leapt the table without stopping. Garrett made it to the door and slammed it open. He dashed off down the street and away. 

He had almost made it to the corner when a patrol of watchmen appeared, running towards the pub, no doubt in response to the disturbance. They saw him running and figured him to be involved somehow. The leader shouted for him to stand down. Garrett skid to a stop and ran the other way, his boots making him fairly fly down the street. The bluecoats were after him now, swords drawn. But none could match his speed and when they rounded the corner at the other end of the street he was nowhere to be found. They turned their attention to the pub and dashed inside. 

Garrett reached his home minutes later. He was inside like a shot and slammed the door behind him, locking the bolts into place. He ran to his closet and began emptying his things into a sack. _Stupid, stupid stupid! How could I not see it? It was so obvious! Damnit it all to hell! I've got to get out of here; they'll be bashing down my door within the hour! Better make for Donovan's, he's got an interest in protecting his treasure and me._ Garrett patted the leather cylinder. 

It took him two sacks filled to the brim to empty his closet of things. The rest he put in a rugsack, which he slung on his back. His papers, some clothes, some food. He stood in the middle of his living room looking around at the house. He liked the place; maybe he would come back when this was done. With that he ran out and slipped his keys under the landlord's door. He lugged his bags out into the street and looked both ways. The day was still bright and the sun at its zenith. He saw a carriage clattering down the street. He flagged it down. "I need transportation now." Was all he said and tossed the man a pouch, which jingled as he caught it. The man merely nodded and gestured to the carriage door. Garrett pulled it open and tossed his bags inside. "Wellington Street, fast as you can." The man nodded again and turned to the horses. Garrett jumped up the steps and into the carriage, shutting the door behind him and drawing the shades. With a bump, the carriage set a quick pace.

Garrett peered out through the curtains every few minutes as the carriage made its way through the city. His eyes searching furtively this way and that, expecting to see assassins dropping in at any moment. He reached Wellington Street at length and disembarked, dragging his bags out with him. The coachman started off down the street and was away in moments. He turned and moved up to the fence around Donovan's house. Pushing through the gate he fairly ran up the path and rapped on the door. Harold answered.

"Oh, its you again." He said. "I need to see Donovan, let me in, quick." Harold thought about this for a moment. He nodded and stepped aside, letting Garrett walk in before shutting the door. As Harold closed it, Donovan came down the stairs in the foyer. "Mister Garrett, what are you doing here? Galen told me not to expect you for another two days." Donovan said, looking puzzled. Garrett couldn't tell him the truth about his willingness to sell him out. "Emilio found out about my little job at his manor, he sent his men to my house to collect the Vestrius and me. I managed to hide until they left. Listen, they know where I live, I can't stay there." Garrett finished. "And you want to stay here?" Donovan asked. Garrett merely nodded. "Then you may stay, I still have a contract with you and I need your assets." "How thoughtful of you Donovan." Garrett said, with a touch of sarcasm. Donovan ignored it. "Harold, take Mister Garrett's bags to one of the guest rooms." Harold nodded and took the bags from Garrett. As he went up the stairs Donovan led Garrett into a parlor off the main foyer. He gestured for him to sit. Garrett settled into an armchair and Donovan did the same.

"So, what have you discovered?" Donovan began. Garrett explained the whole incident at the manor and told Donovan about the letter. "The Moonshadow guild? I have very little experience with thieves' guilds. What do you know of them mister Garrett?" Donovan asked. "One of the two most powerful guilds in the city. They are an extremely large guild, with connections throughout the city. They have an enormous amount of men, materials, and wealth. In addition they have outpost and hideouts throughout the city. There are very few who know of their main headquarters, which is located in the huge complex of abandoned storerooms and cellars that run underneath the docks. It is said that they have converted one of the larger storerooms into and underground dock, which is hidden from outside to all those who don't know where to look. The dock is supposed to allow the transport of men and materials into and out of the complex without anyone noticing anything."

Donovan nodded, soaking in all of the information. "And what of their leader?" He asked. "The man goes by the name of Fengil Anerson. A ruthless cutthroat, and a cunning thief. His one weakness is wealth. More so than any thief, he covets gold. It is a passion of his which is unquenchable." "Have you ever met him?" Donovan asked. "No." Garrett replied simply. Donovan looked thoughtful for a while as they sat in silence. "This obsession with wealth, could we use it against him somehow?" Donovan asked. "Not likely, Fengil is not stupid, he knows when an item is priceless. He will not sell the Vestrius piece for any price, and will probably keep it locked away in a very safe place." "I don't mean buy _it_, but perhaps pretend to be interested in looking over some of his other items?" Donovan suggested. 

Garrett thought. Finally he spoke. "It could work. If Galen were to go and appear at the guild door as a potential customer, she may be able to slip inside. She could pose as a representative for Richard." "But the letter said they would not trust anyone to enter but Richard himself." Donovan objected. "Maybe, but Galen is quite good at bluffing her way through things, and she is a sorceress right? Could she not use some of her magic to help persuade them to allow her access?" Garrett asked. "You'll have to ask her, but even so, you keep saying her. What will you be doing? I did commission _your_ services, Mister Garrett." Donovan said. "I will be entering via the secret dockside entrance." "But you said it was supposed to be hidden." "It is, but I know somebody inside the guild who could tell me its location, if the right kind of motivation were offered." 

"So, supposing you are able to enter via the dockside access, what's the point of Galen going in then?" Donovan asked. "Galen, posing as the buyer, will provide a distraction for me. If she can divert guards away from wherever the Vestrius piece is hidden, it would make my job easier." "Is this Garrett I hear talking? The master thief requires help." Donovan said acerbically. Garrett held back an angry retort. "Yes, I will need some assistance. I will be going up against trained thieves, not lazy guards. These people know how a thief works, and so they will be much harder to bypass." "Alright, but just one more question remains. How are you going to locate the Vestrius piece once your inside?" "I'm sure my contact can point me in the proper direction. Once I grab the piece, I'll link up with Galen and we both get the hell out of there." Garrett said. "And how are you going to find her?" "I may be able to procure a map from somebody, the place was old storerooms so a map may not be as hard to find as we think. All we have to do is arrange a meeting point and an escape route." 

Donovan thought this over for a few minutes. "We will try this plan of yours, you still are the authority on infiltration in this venture." Garrett nodded. "I will send for Galen at once so that we can begin preparations at once." Donovan said. "The preparations should take about three days." Garrett informed him. "Three days then. Well mister Garrett I will allow you to get settled into your quarters, Harold will show you to them." Garrett rose from his chair and followed Harold who had been standing by the door. As Garrett followed him up the stairs he thought. _Here goes nothing._


	7. The Guild of The Moonshadows

Garrett strode the wharves, his black cloak billowing in the chill wind that had sprung up. The light from the many taverns and alehouses glared out harshly onto the wooden boardwalk which formed the docks. All manner of ships were moored on the frigid waters, their hulls and sails black and creaking in the night.

It was three days since Garrett had first arrived at Donovan's door. In that time he had made his preparations. Galen had arrived at once after she had been summoned. Garrett had informed her of his plan to infiltrate the thieves' guild. Of course she was furious at being asked to do another task for something she was partly paying for. She was always furious. Donovan had managed to pacify her somehow. In any case she had agreed to the plan and gone along. Garrett had contacted his friend in the Moonshadow guild. Using him he had managed to find out a great deal about the storeroom complex. Garrett bought a map and had attempted to get the guild member to label and fill in as much as possible. The man had also divulged the location of the dockside entrance and how to spot it. When his service was done Garrett had paid him off, he left without complaint.

After that, Garrett had gone over the map with Galen for the next two nights without pause. They had not been pleasant sessions, with many a stinging remark being used on a regular basis. However, by the second night they had gained a mutual respect of each other. There were fewer insults being thrown around and more work getting done. In the end Garrett came to respect Galen's no nonsense approach towards everything, and she came to tolerate Garrett's aversion to confrontation.

The arranged night had come, and they had both set out for the docks on separate routes. The plan was that, Galen would bluff her way in as a buyer, and get to the room where the guild had most of their items on display. She would cause a commotion in a security station, which was designed to draw many of the guards to that location. Meanwhile, Garrett would be going in through the dockside entrance. He would swim inside and make his way to the area where the Vestrius was kept and link up with Galen. When they were both there, they would escape out through the front door into the alley. 

So there Garrett was, walking down the docks to a place where he could reach the entrance easily. He wore his usual burgling attire. He was armed with his broadsword and bow. He also carried several specialized types of arrows in addition to thirty broadheads. He had a scouting orb and a flashbomb with him and three daggers. There was also his lockpick set, blackjack, his map, compass, and lastly he carried a rope and the special grappling hook he had bought. This fit near perfectly under his cloak, and he could move about as easily as if he carried nothing. 

The night was cold and unfriendly; the cloak did little to shield Garrett from the biting cold. A drunk accosted Garrett near a stack of crates. "Givesee a poor man shhoomthin to take the shill offa the noight?" He said, his speech slurred. Garrett pushed him aside. "Out of my way drunkard, I have no time for this." The man backed off muttering darkly. Garrett took in everything around him as he walked. The men staring at him from the depths of an alley. The prostitute warming up to a sailor on watch. The dark shapes crossing the rooftops, thieves on the prowl. 

He came to the spot. It looked not different than the other stretch of boardwalk he had already covered. But the Moonshadow contact had been very specific in his description of its location. Garrett recalled his words. "Its just outside the pub 'Klipman's Locker'. Fifteen paces to the right of pier 137. There's a queer rock formation just beneath it. It makes the water look higher than it is. You could fit a rowboat full of men right under there, though it don't look like there's room enough for a crate. The rocky outcrop beneath the pier is fake. It can be moved aside to reveal the tunnel leading right under the boardwalk."

There was Klipman's Locker. The sign swung loosely above the door. Garrett turned around and saw the number 137 painted on a sign attached to a post. He turned to the right and walked 15 paces. He looked down. There was the spot. It didn't look special in any way to Garrett's eyes. He waited until he was sure nobody was looking. Without a second thought he stepped off the pier. 

The water was deathly cold. It soaked into his clothes and stung him with its touch. Garrett had secured his equipment tightly to himself before leaving, so none of it floated off. He surfaced his head. The cold night air took his breath away as he exhaled. He grabbed onto a post that anchored the boardwalk. Blinking the water out of his eyes he peered in under the quay. The man had been right, there was a large cavity under the docks. The rocks there slanted downwards as they met the pier. Garrett forced his legs to move and swam in under the docks to the rock wall beneath. He gripped the rock with slick hands and started to pull it. The rock shook and shifted but otherwise didn't change much. He swam over and tried another spot. His muscles were cramping up and the cold seeped into him. The rock moved again, but did not change much. He tried another spot. The rock slide sideways and revealed a dark opening. Garrett used what strength he had left to power his way inside. The tunnel was unlit and so Garrett found himself swimming alone and cold in the dark. He had no idea as to the width or height of the tunnel and so felt like a speck in the impenetrable wall of gloom that surrounded him. His strength was failing; the cold of the water was sapping his strength. Just when he felt he could swim no more and that he would die there in that tunnel, he came to the end.

He was in a dimly lit chamber. The walls were made of cold stone and there were torches in brackets set into them. The chamber was not overly big, but could accommodate a large amount of people. The water took up about half of the chamber and the rest was a rocky floor with several wooden docks built onto it. A number of rowboats were moored on the docks and the area was covered with crates and barrels. It was at the moment, devoid of people. Garrett swam weakly up to the docks and pulled himself up out of the water. There he lay, cold and shivering on the wooden docks. The water dripped slowly off of him and he breathed in gulps of slightly stale air. Finally when he felt his strength coming back he tried to stand. He did so shakily and stumbled over to a stack of crates. He looked around the dock area. There were three passages, which led off of the room. Garrett pulled open his leather scroll case and slid out his map. Luckily the case had protected it from the water. He unrolled it and lay it flat on the crate. Looking it over he checked his route. 

From the docks, he had to go through the left most passage. There he took the third door on the right and went through a storage room, after that he would be in another passage and would need to go right until he reached the end. At the end there would be a common room for guild members. He needed to exit through a door on the left of that chamber. He would be in another hallway. From here, he would have to enter a door at the far end. These were the dormitories; he would have to exit through a door to the left. From there it was down another passage, through the kitchen, the mess hall, the main hall, the security station, and then he would be in the restricted area. Somewhere in there, the Vestrius would be kept. 

He rolled up the map and replaced it in it's case. He started off down the passage, ever alert for the sound of footsteps or voices. He reached the third door and entered. The storage room was unlit and empty of people. Crates were stacked throughout the room. Garrett ghosted through and was about to exit at the other end, when the door opened almost in his face. He went with the door as it swung towards him and stood silent behind it. Five men entered the room, all holding torches. "You two grab that crate over there, and you guys can each grab a barrel. One man was directing the other four. They put their torches in brackets around the room and hefted up the things that the leader had indicated. All were wearing black leather jerkins and face masks. The guild emblem was evident on their shoulder pads. Each one was armed with a short sword. 

Garrett crouched deep in the shadows behind the door and scrunched himself up into a ball. The men turned around and went out the door, carrying their burdens with them. The leader was last to leave; he took one final look around the room and then shut the door. Garrett waited until he was sure nobody was around. He stood up from the shadows and went to the door. Peering out, he looked both ways down the hall. There was nobody. He advanced out into the stone passage and took a right, keeping to the shadows created by the spotlights of the torches. As he approached the end of the corridor he could see a large amount of light and hear a lot of noise coming from up ahead. He reached the end and peered around the corner formed by a half-pillar holding up the archway entrance to the room. 

The room was filled with men and women, drinking, and eating and talking. A roaring fire was in the stone fireplace at the far end of the room and there was a large amount of rugs covering the floor. Furniture was haphazardly strewn around the large room. A food table had been set up at one end. This was the common room. Garrett looked up and saw wooden rafters supporting the high ceiling. There was no way he could get through a room like this sneakily. He would have to dim the lights. Garrett pulled out his bow and three water arrows. These arrows were tipped with crystal heads, filled with water. He nocked all three arrows to his bow at once. Drawing the string back as far as he could, Garrett leaned around the corner, aimed, and released. 

The arrows flew close above the heads of the people. All three went straight into the large fireplace. The crystal tips shattered on impact and doused the fire. Being the only source of illumination, the room went dark instantly. People started shouting and the room was thrown into chaos as they milled about. Garrett didn't waste the opportunity. Not wanting to simply run through lest he be discovered Garrett decided to take the high road. He yanked out his grappling hook and rope. Spinning it in a wide arc he let it fly up towards the ceiling. The hooks caught a rafter and held. Garrett ran into the room until the rope was hanging straight down above him and not sloped out into the passage. He began to climb as fast as he possibly could. The lights would soon be back on. He reached the top and pulled himself onto the rafters. He whispered "release" and the hooks came undone, he caught the grappling hook in his hands and hoisted the rope up to himself.

Not a moment to soon. Somebody had the sense to run and grab a torch from the hallway. He went to the fire and relit it. The lights were back and people were talking again. They began searching around the room for a sign of the culprit. When they found nothing, some shrugged and went back to talking, although there were many who did so with hands on swords, and wary eyes. 

When Garrett was sure that nobody was looking up at him he stood and slid carefully across the rafters until he was directly above the passage he needed to exit out of. There, he stuck the hook into the wall high up and dropped the cord. He payed out the rope until it dangled just above the archway. Then he laid the extra rope over the hook so that it was shortened to the proper length. Grabbing onto it, Garrett slowly rappelled down the wall until he was at the end of the rope. There he dangled, just above the archway. At what he judged was the proper moment, he let go of the rope. He landed softly on the floor and shoulder rolled into the corridor. He waited, back pressed against the wall, breathing heavily. He peered around the corner, watching the scene. It appeared nobody had noticed him. Garrett looked up and whispered "release". The hook plummeted down and Garrett caught it deftly. He returned the rope and hook under his cloak and continued on down the passageway. 

At the far end he exited through another door. The dormitories were dark. The only illumination was a single lamp hanging from the ceiling. The room was filled with beds, all stacked in levels of three to take advantage of the limited space and high ceiling. There were around forty guild members all slumbering in various bunks around the room. Garrett shut the door quietly and moved in amongst the beds, being careful not to make any noise as he passed each sleeping form. As he was moving between two sleeping thieves, his feet crunched over some glass from a broken wine bottle. One of them snorted and rolled over; he grabbed the hem of Garrett's cloak. The second slumped slightly off his bunk and in front of Garrett. Garrett cursed mentally and reached down. He pulled a dagger out and sliced off the section of cloak that the thief was holding. He rolled back into his bunk, clutching the piece of fabric against himself and sucking it. Garrett was about to step over the second thief, when he suddenly slipped far off of his bunk. Garrett reached down and caught him before he hit the floor. The man's eyes fluttered open for a second and he stared straight at Garrett… "Mmm…its to early for that Erin." He mumbled as his eyes closed again. Garrett slowly slid the man back onto his bunk. He found the correct exit and went through. 

As he walked down the hallway, a door suddenly opened up ahead. Garrett calmly slid into the shadows, pulling his cloak over himself. A man exited and walked past him and down the hall. Garrett stood and continued on. He reached the entrance to the kitchen and went inside, ducking low as he did so. The room was clean enough and quite large. There were two long countertops running down the center of the room and more countertops around the walls of the room. Then there were then all the other things you would expect to find in a kitchen: utensils, vegetables, cutting boards, cold stores etc… There were two cooks washing dishes at the far end of the room. They were having an argument of some sort. Garrett crawled forward around the countertops so that he could hear snatches of it. "-Can't remember every little thing I do!" Shouted one of the cooks, furiously scrubbing a large pot. "Well you'd better start, because it could mean the difference between Fengil honoring me or hanging me!" The second cook bellowed. "Listen, it wasn't my fault _you_ lost his favorite knife!" The first yelled back. "Wa- wasn't your fault? You're the one who used the blasted thing as a cutting knife! Where did you leave it?" The second spluttered incredulously. "I left it right there!" The first hollered, gesturing at the countertop behind him. Garrett ducked behind it as the second cook turned to look briefly. "Well it ain't there now! I was given the damn thing to clean it and you go and use it as a cutting knife!" The second roared. "Well maybe that will teach you not to leave things like that lying around!" The first replied heatedly. 

Garrett reached into one of the cupboards and grabbed a bottle filled with some sort of substance he couldn't identify. He tossed it over the countertop rows. The bottle shattered on the floor in front of an open cupboard. The two cooks whirled around immediately and went over to the bottle. "Aw look what you did! You didn't place the bottles properly and now there's a mess! Well you can clean it up." The first cook said. "ME! You were the one who was arranging the cupboards today! You should clean it up!" As they continued to argue Garrett crawled forward and out the door at the far end.

The mess hall was dark and empty. Garrett moved quickly through the sets of tables and chairs and out the opposite door. Another corridor and another close encounter with a patrolling guard later, and Garrett was in the main hall. The room had a high ceiling. The floor was of black marble and so were the cylindrical pillars supporting the roof. There was a clerk's desk in one corner, which faced the main doors at the far end of the hall. Past the desk was another archway, which led into a different passageway. There were numerous statues and plants situated around the hall and several small doors leading off of it, like the one Garrett had come through. Torches set into brackets in the pillars, as well as a large wooden chandelier hanging from the ceiling lighted the room. 

Two guild members patrolled up and down the center of the hall, their boots clicking against the polished marble. Two more stood guard at the archway beyond the clerk's desk. A clerk occupied the desk, writing on a piece of parchment, the sound of his quill seemed incredibly loud in the quiet that would otherwise permeate the hall. 

Garrett crept up to the pillars and crouched behind one. A guard passed down the hall on the other side of the pillar. When he was well away, Garrett moved in a crouch over to the next pillar. In this way he made is way almost to the clerk's desk. As he stood behind the final pillar he drew out a noisemaker arrow. Nocking it to his bow he waited until the proper moment. He spun out from behind the pillar and let the arrow fly. As it did so, the arrow began to emit a high pitched whine as it flew. When it struck the stone wall across the hall the tip jarred violently, giving off a rattling racket, which went on long after the initial impact. Needless to say, the guards were immediately suspicious, drawing swords they advanced cautiously towards the opposite end of the hall. While they were searching Garrett slid under the front of counter that the clerk was behind. The man had stood up when he heard the noise and was now scanning the hall with his eyes. Garrett slipped past him and moved off through the archway. _Perhaps I overestimated the skill of these men when I spoke with Donovan; this is almost to easy._

Garrett paused about halfway down the hall and pulled out his pocket watch. "Show time." He muttered something far off down the hall exploded. The passage shook and Garrett struggled to stand. As soon as it stopped there was a hiss of releasing pressure. "Right on time." 

****

Galen strode the docks with an air of confident grace. He usual red attire had been replaced by a more functional set of clothes. She wore a slit-legged skirt of dark brown velvet and a long-sleeved shirt of black. Over this she wore a deep green cape with a shallow hood. Her legs were covered with thin black leggings, which actually kept the cold out marvelously, due to the fine Jonarian weave. At her side was a modest sized sling bag. 

She made for the tavern in front of her. The sign "Three Mugs" was posted on the wall next to the door. The hand was crude and there was a picture of three mugs painted roughly below the words. The place was a two-story affair, with peeling paint and brightly lit windows, especially the main one next to the door. Galen opened the door and entered a world of smokey air and the scent of roasted meat and sweat. The place was hot, a large hearth the cause of that. Men sat at round tables or in booths, shouting loudly and laughing louder over platters of meat, potatoes and tall mugs of beer. Waitresses moved amongst the rowdy crowd, deftly avoiding pinches directed at their bottoms as they carried trays to and from the kitchen. Galen moved amongst the tables to the back of the bar. Men eyed her hungrily and some of the more rowdy ones whooped at the sight of her. She ignored them. A man reached out to grab her. Instantly she had a hand around his outstretched wrist. The man screamed in pain, Galen held on for a few moments and then let go of him. He collapsed to the floor sobbing and clutching his wrist in pain. His whole arm was covered in crystallized ice. The tavern went silent, all eyes were upon her face, and some a little lower than that. The man's friends stood and drew their weapons. "You filthy bitch!" One of them shouted. Galen just stared him down, rage evident in her eyes. He made to attack her, but before he could, the bartender snapped his fingers. Three men stood from nearby tables and moved in, all were armed. "There'll be no trouble here this night, take your grievances outside if you wish." One of them said quietly. The man and his friends looked undecided for a moment. Then looking down at the man's heavy sword, thought better of himself. With a dark curse he lowered his weapon. The whole gang of them made for the exit, two carrying their whimpering companion. The three bouncers returned to their seats and slowly the general talk started again until it was as if nothing had occurred.

Galen moved up to the bartender. "I'd like today's special." She said in a low voice. "I thought you'd be with them, ain't nobody else who could do that in here if they weren't with them." With a gesture to follow him, he moved off. She followed the man through the heat and steam of the kitchen and out a back door. As soon as she was out the door in the enclosed alley he yanked the door shut. Galen went to the end of the alley and stopped short of the wall. "Golden Rod." She said. The wall groaned and slid aside. A man was standing in a small room just behind the wall. He bowed as she stepped inside. "What can the Moonshadow do for its honored customer this night?" The man said with perfect eloquence. "I am a representative of Richard van Wyker, here to examine some of the guild's wares as per the invitation." Galen said, her tone authoritative. "May I see some proof of this claim?" the man replied. Galen reached into her bag and pulled the letter out, handing it to the man. His eyes flicked over the letter and when he was done, he brought the envelope up and smelled the wax seal. "This is an official guild correspondence, I can tell by the scent of the wax. However, are you aware madam that the letter reads that only sir Richard is permitted to enter?" the man said. "I am well aware of the terms of this epistle. However, my lord Richard wishes to inform you that he is unable to come personally as he has recently been injured." "Oh how terrible, how did this come about?" The man asked. "Something hit him on the head." She replied. "Well tell Lord Richard that we are sorry about his injury but I'm afraid we still are unable to allow you entry." "He also said to inform you that he is quite willing to pay double the asking price for any items you may have available, in return for letting his trusted representative in of course." The man raised an eyebrow, the only indication of his surprise. "One moment madam if you please." He grabbed an object of some sort off the desk; Galen couldn't see what it was. He began speaking into it, Galen couldn't make out what he was saying either. A few minutes later he put the item back on the desk and turned to Galen. "Darkblade Fengil Anerson has agreed to allow you entry on the condition that you are to have an escort as you view the items." "Done" Galen said. "Very well, follow me madam." The entrance shut behind her as she stepped inside and followed the man down a narrow flight of steps.

The stairs ended at a long narrow tunnel, which went on for quite a distance before it ended in a door. The man pulled the door open for Galen who nodded in thanks to him and strode into the main hall. He accompanied Galen down the rows of pillars to the clerk's desk. Galen's escort began having a conversation with the clerk over her visit. As she waited for them to finish, she thought back on the past few days. At first when Garrett had contacted her about the job she had been adamant about it. This was supposed to be his contract. Why was she getting involved? Granted, she had facilitated his infiltration the ball, but that was a special circumstance. They must have argued for hours in the parlor at Donovan's manor. Neither had been willing to give ground. Finally, Donovan had stepped in and given his infallible logic: "The faster we get this over and done with the faster we may each go our separate ways." Galen still seemed dissatisfied with this but had given up with arguing. As long as it didn't look like she had given in, it was fine. How she hated having that arrogant bastard around! But, he was the best in his trade, and Galen needed the best for something as big as this. The Vestrius was worth so much to so many; having to put up with Garrett was worth it. She would be the first to get it! Donovan was merely a means to an end. They shared wealth, resources, and intelligence in their quest for the Vestrius, yes. But Galen was not about to share the prize. When she had the power of the Vestrius in her grasp, Donovan would need to be eliminated. Garrett would be paid off, and she would be triumphant! The only reason she deigned to pay him, rather than try to kill him as well, was that it would be dangerous having someone like Garrett angry with her if she failed. Despite her extreme dislike of him, she respected the man's talent and skill. Besides, she would have enough dangers to worry about once she had the Vestrius.

The two men finished conversing and the doorman motioned for Galen to follow him down the hall past the clerk's desk. The stone hallway was nearly pitch dark, with torches spaced at distant intervals. At the end of the hall they came upon the security station.

The station was merely a large stone booth with windows. The booth took up one half of the room and the other half provided walking space for people to pass and proceed into the restricted section. There were seven guild members manning the station. Five were sitting around a table in the center of the booth playing at cards. The other two were sitting at an iron control station. The entire area was brightly lit by oil lamps. The lamps were covered and could only be turned on or off at the control station. A mechanical face was mounted above the glass windows of the booth; its view covered the whole area. It too could only be turned off from the control station. The only other piece of furniture in the booth was a weapons rack. The rack held five short swords, three bows, seven daggers, and two spears. 

Galen knew all about this area from her sessions with Garrett. They had gone over it countless times. This area was where her distraction was to take place. Galen's guide stopped at the station and spoke with one of the guards through a metal grill. This was her chance. Galen reached into her slingbag and surreptitiously pulled out a specially designed mine, which she had altered for her purpose. Galen placed the device on the stone wall, just below the glass. It stuck there as she drew her hand away. At the same time she checked her pocket watch. Galen magically altered the mine; it had taken quite a bit of energy to imbue it with the correct properties for their purpose. Three seconds after she stuck the mine to the wall it began to shimmer and fade. Then, it disappeared completely. It was still there, but invisible to the human eye. 

The doorman had finished speaking with the guard and again motioned for her to follow him. They passed the station and went through another hallway. At the end of this was the restricted section. The room was carpeted with deep red, and lit by candelabra's around the room. Various artifacts were placed in glass cases on pedestals, or locked away in iron safes. There were more mechanical faces here as well, their tireless gaze panning the room. The restricted section was a series of rooms similar to this one, some had the extra vault or guard, but all were fairly congruent. From the guild contact, Garrett and Galen had learned that the Vestrius was held two rooms up from the one Galen currently stood in. He said it was contained in a vault on the back wall, which could only be opened if one had the proper key and the proper combination. Luckily Garrett had gotten a wax imprint of the key from the guild contact and had gotten a copy made. It had cost them a small fortune to persuade him to get them one, since it meant stealing from Darkblade Fengil, a very quick way to die.

The vault had a mechanical face directed at it, as well as two guards stationed near it. Galen made a show of perusing the items on display, frequently checking her watch. The guild member who was with her waited patiently in silence. At length, she made her way to the room where the vault was. She examined some of the other items here and asked the odd question about them. As she was examining a particularly magnificent jeweled sword next to the vault door she carried out the next part of the plan.

With her back to the guide, standing behind her and her body beyond the guards' peripheral vision she reached into her slingbag, her cape masking her hands from view. Galen pulled out another device. It was a squat metal box, about the size of her palm. On its face was a dial, like the kind on combination locks. Galen placed the device against the vault's combination mechanism, which was directly to her left. The dial on the apparatus began to spin silently. Galen continued to examine the sword while the device spun. The guards and her guide were all intent on watching her that they didn't even glance at the vault. Even if they had, the device was small and in the shadows. They had timed this to the second; Galen kept glancing at her watch. It was nearly time…

The device suddenly stopped spinning and clacked. The guards half turned to look at the vault.

Galen triggered the mine with her magic.

The entire area shook as the mine exploded at the security station. Galen fell off balance and smacked her head on the glass sword case. She toppled onto her back and lay unconscious there. The two guards also fell to their knees and the doorman managed to grab hold on something. Alarms went off throughout the complex. The two guards stood as the shaking stopped. "What in the hell was that!" "I don't know! It came from the security station!" They made to leave. "What about her?" The guide said. "Forget her, we'll come back later, she isn't going anywhere." The guide shrugged and followed them out.

****

Garrett sprinted up the passageway, alarms ringing all around him. He came upon the devastation at the security station. There was a gaping hole in the stone booth, which was choked with rubble. The air was thick with smoke that filled the room. Through the mist Garrett could just make out the bodies of the guards, buried under the rubble. The glass had been shattered and there was blood smeared down the back wall. The mechanical face was broken, its parts strewn about the room. Garrett did waste any time and dashed onwards the, alarms urging him to hurry. He ran down the passage past the station. About halfway he heard feet rushing down the hallway towards him. In the darkness of the passage, he had no trouble keeping out of sight. A column of men rushed past him, intent on reaching the security station. They had soon passed and Garrett took off once again at a run.

He got to the restricted section and wasted no time avoiding the mechanical faces. He dashed through the rooms and into the room where the vault was. He stopped as he saw Galen lying prone on the floor. As he approached she immediately stood up. "The key, quickly!" she shouted over the alarm "Why were you lying on the ground? Garrett asked as he pulled the key from his cloak. "All part of the act, now hurry up!" Galen replied as she yanked the device off the vault. "It is cracked, correct?" Garrett said as he jammed the key into the lock and twisted. "Of course. " She replied haughtily. At that they heard the key click in the lock. The vault mechanism cycled and the heavy metal door groaned open. The inside was completely empty, except for a single pedestal in the center. There, on a satin cushion, was the 2nd half of the Vestrius. It was similar to the first half, except in place of a headpiece there was a notch at the top. A notch that Garrett bet would fit perfectly into the bottom of the first piece. It also had no band of silver around it's center.

Galen made to grab for it but Garrett snatched it up first. Galen turned to him, anger flaring up in her eyes. "Give it too me!" She shouted. "I will be keeping both pieces until my payment has been effected. " Garrett said coolly. "You will do no such thing! Give it to me you bastard!" Galen raged. She extended her fingertips; flame arced out and melted the pedestal next to Garrett. He didn't flinch. "I know where the first piece is hidden, you won't find it without me." Galen gave him a look of such intense anger that he stepped back a pace. "When we get out of here, I will deal with you." She said, her fury only barely suppressed. "I have no doubt of that." Garrett muttered darkly.

They fled back through the restricted section and out into the hallway, the alarms still ringing loudly. As they neared the security station they slowed. Garrett motioned for Galen to stay back and crept up to the wall. Men we all over the station, searching through rubble and talking. Garrett examined the situation for a moment and then decided on a course of action. He crept back to Galen. "When I whistle, I want you ready to run directly past the station, don't look at it, just run understand?" Galen merely nodded. Garrett turned and moved back up to the end of the hall. Pulling the flashbomb out, he stepped into the room. Garrett whistled and tossed the bomb. The men all whirled around at the sound; they saw the flashbomb hit the ground directly in front of them. It exploded in a blinding flash, Garrett averted his eyes. Galen was already dashing down the hall at the far end. Garrett followed her, shoving past the blind and stumbling guards. He caught up to her easily and they ran side by side.

They were almost out, when they heard the shouts of the guards behind them. They raced down the rest of the hallway and burst into the entrance hall. They started for the main doors but as they did so, a plethora of thieves suddenly appeared from hiding. They ran to block the intruder's escape, while others raced towards them, swords raised high. And the men from the security station came closer still. Garrett swore violently. He grabbed Galen's arm and pulled her off towards a side door. They beat their pursuers to the door and Garrett slammed it open.

They raced on through the passageways, the guards never far behind. Then they reached a bend in the hallway where their pursuers lost them from sight for a moment. Without a second thought Garrett pushed Galen into a nearby closet and them leapt in behind her, slamming the door as he went. The closet was cramped and small, Galen was pressed right up against Garrett's chest, their faces almost touching. Galen was about to angrily protest when Garrett clapped a hand to her mouth. The footsteps in the hallway were almost right outside the closet. Something was digging into Galen's back; she squirmed forward and wrapped her arms around Garrett, pulling herself to him. Garrett felt very uncomfortable just then. The men outside the closet were searching the nearby rooms; Garrett could hear them opening doors all along the hall. It was only a matter of time before they were discovered. Garrett quickly thought of something. He made a sign with his hands to Galen. He pointed to both himself and her and covered his eyes in a gesture of concealment. Galen got the message and nodded. She signed back, pushing her two fingers close together. Garrett nodded and wrapped his arms back around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Moments later he felt his whole body tingle with an odd sensation. Like someone was pulling a blanket over him. At that moment the closet door opened and light spilled in. A guild member poked his head in and looked into the closet, his eyes passing directly over them. Then he pushed the door shut again. 

Garrett realized that he was sweating and panting heavily, and he was gripping Galen tighter than he meant to. He could feel her body trembling against him, hear her deep breathing. He relaxed his hold on her a little but she still gripped him tight. It had been very close. The footsteps moved off down the hallway. When he was sure that nobody was outside he began to extricate himself from Galen. She let go, looking rather sheepish. The feeling of the spell left Garrett and they were visible again. He pushed the door open cautiously and looked both ways down the hall. It was clear. They stepped out into the hallway and began moving again, Garrett checked his map, they were in a hallway just off of the dock area, they would go out that way. He led her to the correct door and out into the docking area.

The place was filled with men, some were loading crates and barrels onto the small rafts and others were checking cargo manifests. Still others were unloading cargo and patrolling the area. Garrett grabbed Galen's wrist and led her into the shadows behind a crate stack before they were noticed. "How are we supposed to get out of here?" She asked. "The place is crawling with guards, we'll never make it into the tunnel alive." "If you can use your magic t-." "I can't, I'd never be able to hold it that long." She said. "Alright, well here's what we do. You and I stow away in some of those outgoing rafts, we can hide under the tarps. They sail out through the tunnel and we jump off when they do." Galen looked at him skeptically. "You have a better idea?" he said. "No, but I don't like this one all the same." She replied. "We'll it's the only choice we have, now let's go." 

Garrett led Galen through the gauntlet of guards, ducking into the shadows and behind crates. They made their way over to the rafts. When nobody was looking, Galen crawled forward and onto the raft they had chosen. She wriggled in under the tarps and lay still. Garrett was about to follow, when a group of guild members approached. He shrank back into the shadows and waited. They continued to load their cargo until the raft was fully laden. Then, three of them boarded the raft, two took up long oars and the other sat in the back on one of the crates. They untied the mooring ropes and the raft began to drift off. There was no time for Garrett to reach it before it was cast off. Instead he slithered quickly over to another raft that was about to be pushed off. He came up behind one of the guards and cracked him over the head with his blackjack, dragging his body into the shadows. The first raft was already fairly far out, the guild members poling it out with the oars. Garrett crept onto his raft and slid under a tarp. Moments later he felt the raft jerk and shake as the crew boarded it.

Garrett lay quite still as the raft began to move. He began thinking about what they were going to do when they reached the exit, when suddenly he heard someone scream. People started yelling and his raft rocked dangerously. He managed to squirm around so that he could peer out from under the tarp. Across the water he saw the second raft. Two of the oarsmen lay dead, draped over the crates. Galen was standing on the raft as the third man came at her. As he did so, flames burst from her fingertips, covering him. He screamed in agony, as he became a living torch. The man lurched around the raft and toppled into the water. _What in the hell is she doing!_ He thought. 

The men on Garrett's raft had bows. They nocked arrows and were about to fire. Galen didn't see this; she was too intent on conjuring up another spell. Garrett kicked out at their legs from beneath the tarp. They stumbled, their arrows falling from the strings. Garrett leapt into action. He sprang up and whipped the tarp at the closest man, entangling him. With a swift kick he was off the raft and struggling to untangle himself as the water rushed in over his head. Another of the men came at Garrett, a dagger in hand. He lunged at Garrett, who ducked under his arm and came up behind him. The man whirled and swung at Garrett again. Garrett leapt back out of range, rocking the raft dangerously as the balance tipped. Garrett whipped out a dagger of his own, twirling it masterfully in his hand. The space was to small to bring out his broadsword. The man lunged again; Garrett leapt up to the side and onto a crate, just narrowly missing the other man, who had been coming up behind him. Garrett jumped off the crate, as the first man swung at his legs. He landed so that both of them were in front of him. As he hit the deck, the raft angled up into the air, crates slid off into the water and Garrett had to dodge one and try to keep his footing. As the crates slid off, the weight equalized and the raft splashed back down into the water, sending a spray of water flying up.

His opponents had managed to keep their footing and came at him. As the one in front lunged, Garrett grabbed his wrist and twirled inwards, reversing the blade of his dagger as he did so. He jammed it into the second man's chest. The guild member cried out and dropped his short sword. Garrett twisted the first man's arm violently. The man didn't cry out but grunted in pain. He kicked out at Garrett's legs, knocking the thief to the floor. Garrett pulled his opponent as he fell, bringing the man toppling down at him. As he fell, Garrett extended his legs rolled back. He sent his attacker over his head to crash into a stack of crates. He recovered quickly and jumped up as Garrett regained his footing. He pulled another dagger from his cloak as the man grabbed a short sword from his fallen comrade, who was lying in a pool of blood on the deck. He lunged at Garrett, who dodged the swing and sliced outwards at the man. His attacker ducked under the swing and charged Garrett, head down. They slammed into and crate, the guild member trying to impale Garrett with his sword. Garrett grabbed his wrist, holding the blade back from his face. Garrett brought his knee up into the man's crotch. He jerked back, tears welling up in his eyes. The man screamed in a violent rage and directed a two handed swing at Garrett's neck. Garrett brought his dagger up to defend. The sword smashed it from his hand with bone-jarring force and it splashed into the water. The man swung at him again, Garrett was not quick enough and the blade sliced through his cloak and suit, dragging a long gash down his forearm. Blood welled up and stained his suit from the inside. Garrett ignored the pain and ducked the next swing aimed at his head. Garrett came back up and brought his elbow around, cracking it against his opponent's face. The man stumbled back, blinking away the colored spots exploding in his vision. Garrett delivered two punches to the man's chest, winding him. As he doubled over, Garrett whipped out his last dagger. Garrett grabbed the man's hair and yanked him upright. With eyes of cold unfeeling Garrett plunged the dagger into the man's heart. As his eyes clouded in death Garrett kicked him to the deck.

The chamber was lit by an incredible display of light. Galen was unleashing the full extent of her power, and it was terrifying. Fireballs blazed burning contrails across the water as they flew into the mass of men on the docks. Lightening bolts crackled and seared the air as the danced. Discs of energy scythed through the ether, slicing flesh and bone. Galen had entered a trance like state on the raft, her eyes closed and hands upstretched. She murmured constantly, her words indecipherable; not that anyone could even hear them. Something around he neck glowed brightly. The thieves were firing arrows madly at her. Most splashed into the water, but several hit the raft, sticking into crates and barrels.

Garrett grabbed a pole and began rowing towards her. Arrows thunked into his raft as the archers noticed him. Garrett dropped the pole momentarily and shoved some crates over so that he was covered from the archers. He picked up the poled and started again. His arms were sore by the time he reached her raft. As the two craft bumped together he dropped his pole and started rowing the one Galen was on. He didn't dare break her concentration. The raft slowly made its way to the tunnel opening. Arrows continued to splash into the water all around them. Some of the archers had taken to lighting their arrows and so, small pinpricks of fire whistled through the air at them. A few struck the raft but Garrett was quick to stamp them out.

The thieves had launched three rafts after them; each filled with ten men and no cargo. The combined effort of all ten men versus Garrett's strength had a predictable outcome. They were fast gaining on the two escapees. Galen seem to preoccupied with keeping the archers at bay. Garrett dropped his oar, bringing the raft to a dead stop. He pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow. Drawing the string, he aimed and released. One of the men on the rafts tumbled off the raft, an arrow jutting from his throat. Garrett repeated the process, dropping the oarsmen as the rowed towards him. But there were thirty men and he had thirty arrows. He couldn't afford a single miss. They were also cutting the distance quickly; he couldn't possibly get them all before he and Galen were overrun. "Galen!" He shouted as another guild member dropped to the deck of his raft. "Galen! I need your help! Galen!" It didn't appear she heard him.

Then, when they were almost at the raft, she heard. Her eyes snapped open and she thrust a hand at one of the craft. Lightning lanced towards it. As it impacted the water, electricity crackled around the rafts. The metal crossbeams in the vessels provided perfect conduction. On all three rafts men jerked and twitched violently. Like crazed marionettes on invisible strings. One of them made a powerful leap before the electricity hit. He hurtled through the air towards their raft, short sword drawn and ready. Garrett whipped out an arrow and shot him through the chest as he flew. His corpse smashed into the crates and slid off into the water. Galen stopped the flow of electricity. The men all fell to the deck, dead.

Arrows continued to fall like rain…flaming rain. Garrett dove at Galen, knocking her out of the way as an arrow whistled through the air behind them. It thunked into the deck. Garrett leapt up and stamped it out. Galen just lay on the deck, in a state of shock almost. Garrett pushed a stack of crates in front of them and started paddling. Arrows stuck in the crate, burning. The boxes began to be consumed in fire. Garrett kicked one off the stack into the water. His arms ached from the strain; the wound in his left arm was bleeding profusely, making it painful to move. He concentrated his every nerve into making each stroke of the oar. The pain felt as though his arm was on fire. Mentally he accepted it, the pain, he let it flow through him, as though it were blood. Another box crackled and smoldered in flames. He kicked this one off as well. Their cover was getting scarce. Galen just lay trembling on the deck, her eyes staring straight up, and her skin pale. 

Then, they made the tunnel. The noise receded into the distance until there was silence. They were alone in the darkness. Garrett let out a heaving sigh and slowed to an easier pace. The journey seemed to stretch on, nothing but dark and the occasional drip from the tunnel roof. At last the tunnel ended and they sailed out into the harbor. Garrett docked the raft on a pier near the tunnel entrance. He picked Galen up in his arms and leapt to the dock. There, he lay her down and checked her over. "Galen? Are you alright?" He said. His voice colder than he meant it to be. She seemed to awaken from a dream at the sound of his voice. "Garrett? I…give me the bottle…in my bag…blue liquid." She said weakly. Garrett pulled open her bag and rummaged through it. His hands clasped around a glass bottle and he drew it out. He uncorked the bottle and put it to her lips. She drank about a quarter of the contents before pushing it away. She sat up, steadying herself on his shoulder. "I'll be alright, just give the healing potion time." She said, her voice returning to normal. "Garrett, I want to…thank…you for what you did back there. You saved my life." She said. Garrett couldn't believe her voice could be so calm. "And you saved mine. We'll call it even." He replied. She stared up into his eyes and he stared back. Then she blinked and nodded. "Keep the Vestrius piece, I will come to Donovan's tomorrow to see the end of this matter." She rose from the dock, standing a little shakily. She leaned on Garrett for support. They reached the end of the quay and started down the boardwalk.

As they approached an alleyway something moved to block their path. Four somethings. "We've business with you witch." A voice said. Four men stepped out of the shadows. It was the patrons from the Three Mugs. The leader's ugly face leered out at them, his chipped and rusted saber evident. Two others carried hefty clubs and the last held a very ragged bow, a quiver and a long dagger. "Your little stunt at the bar is gonna cost you." He said, his rotten, yellow teeth bared. He turned to Garrett. "We ain't got no gripes with you sneaksman, leave the woman and walk away." Garrett gave them one of his piercing stares. "You've gripes with her, then you've gripes with me. Trust me, you don't want that." His three companions seemed ready to bolt at the sight of Garrett, but the leader wasn't so intimidated. "I'm warning you taffer, get out of here." Garrett was tired, cold, and injured, he was in no mood for this. "Clean the grime out of your ears and listen to me you whoreson. I said I'm not leaving, so you had better get the hell out of my way or I'll step over your corpse." Garrett's voice was cold as ice and hard as diamonds. "Oh ho! You want to fight taffer?!" The man said, bringing his sword up. "No, but if you insist." 

Garrett moved. He kicked out at the leader, catching him in the stomach. The man doubled up, the air knocked right out of him. Garrett grabbed the sword out of his hands and whipped it at his stunned companions. They ducked as the saber whipped over their heads. Garrett was on them in a flash. He punched the first one in the face; he stumbled back, his nose broken. As another raised his club he smashed him across the face with a backhand and then decked him with his other hand straight on. He fell hard. The third man lunged at him while he was busy with the second. Garrett snapped his leg out. He heard a crack as the man's head whipped back. He fell to the ground, his skull split on the cobblestone. The second man recovered and made to attack him. Garrett whirled around and ducked under the swing. He grabbed the man's wrist and pulled it up behind his back. With a snap his arm broke. He cried out as Garrett pushed him to the ground. The leader had also recovered and came at him; Garrett ducked a clumsy punch and hit him with three rapid-fire jabs to his midriff. The man opened his mouth but no air came in. Garrett punched him once in the face, he fell." The third man came at Garrett again, blood streaming from his mouth. Garrett leapt into the air and delivered a jump-kicked at the man. He flew back and hit the ground. Garrett landed with a thump. Three bodies lay in the street around him and the fourth man was running as fast as he could down the street. 

"Now I owe you one." Galen said. As she stepped into the street, her mouth agape. "They were idiots, real men aren't so easy." She nodded vaguely, still staring at the bodies. "Listen you seem fine, will you be all right getting home?" She snapped out of her reverie. "Yes, I'll be fine, thank you again." Garrett nodded. They reached the end of the docks and turned onto the streets. Garrett's arm was hanging limply at his side. Galen noticed this. "Your arm." She said. "Its nothing." He replied dispassionately. She ignored him and grabbed his arm, rolling up the sleeve. The gash was deep but not to wide. Galen grabbed her healing potion out from the slingbag and poured some into the wound. Then she pulled a cloth out and wrapped it in a bandage tight around his arm. It hurt, but Garrett didn't let it show. They continued to walk together, since they were headed in the same direction for the moment. "How did you do that?" Garrett asked. "Do what?" She asked. "The thing in the cave, all that magic, I never knew you were so skilled." He said. "I'm not." She replied. Reaching into her shirt, she pulled out a talisman. It was gold, wrought around a finely ground crystal. The crystal was dark, as though its brilliance had been taken away. "This is called a Dineri. It is a very rare artifact that, when used by a sorceress, has the ability to greatly amplify her power for a period of time. It can only be used once and is incredibly draining on the user." She finished. Garrett looked at the Dineri for a time. "I see, we'll I'm glad you decided to use it, we would have been dead otherwise." She only nodded and replaced the talisman.

The time came for them to part. "Well, this is it. I will see you at Donovan's tomorrow." Galen said. With that she drew her cape around her and walked off around the corner. Garrett was left alone on the empty street. He stood there for a time and then spun on his heel and moved off down the street, his cloak billowing in the same chill wind.


	8. Keeper Lukas

Something wasn't right. Garrett could feel it, the lurking sense of danger, in the back of his mind. He brought it to the fore and scrutinized the house more carefully. Donovan's manor was dark; its window's like dead, hooded eyes staring out at Garrett. The chimney was lacking smoke. The silence was oppressive as though even the wind knew that to break it would be like blasphemy. The streets in the area were devoid of life. Garrett didn't like it. He pushed open the iron gate, its hinges squeaking loudly in the quiet. Garrett strode up the garden path, each step felt like an eternity. Garrett reached the door and was about to knock, when he thought better of it. He pushed the heavy door open.

A scene of carnage greeted his eyes. There were bodies strewn around the entrance hall. Three on the stairs and two sprawled on the floor. They were servants; Donovan had quite a few. The corpses looked violently mutilated and those with faces still intact wore looks of terror. Among the dead, Garrett recognized Harold. He had answered the door for the last time. Garrett's sword was out in a twinkling; the ring as it left the scabbard was piercing. He cautiously advanced inside, stepping over the corpses. He moved up the stairs, his eyes darting to and fro. Every step echoed in the eerie silence of the house. Garrett reached the hallway at the top and nearly tripped over a body in the darkness. The hall was also littered with corpses, in much the same position as the previous ones. Papers and furniture had been torn to pieces and scattered around the area, as though a tornado had ripped through. Lamps were cracked and broken, and blankets had been spilled out of a closet and torn up. As Garrett advanced down the hallway he heard a sound from one of the rooms. His head whipped around. It had come from one of the sitting rooms; its door lay broken in the entryway. Garrett advanced inside; his heart beat madly, his senses telling him to run. He pushed down his instinct and pressed on.

The room was a windowless sitting room, destroyed and corpse infested much like the rest of the house. In the midst of the destruction, something still lived, although barely. A servant was sitting in one of the chairs that were still upright. His clothes and skin and been brutally slashed. His face was lined with deep red gashes and caked with dried blood. He was slumped down in the chair, one hand across his chest, the other hanging limply off to the side. He gave a deep moaning sound as Garrett entered, followed by a violent cough. "What the hell happened here?" He said, moving closer to the man. "They came…(cough)…killed everyone…looking for Donovan…(cough)…said he had something they…(cough)…needed (cough)." Garrett went over to him and kneeled beside the chair. "Who came? What were they looking for?" The man stared at him. "Them! (cough)…looking for the Vestr- (cough). They were…" The servant suddenly convulsed, blood spilled from his mouth, staining his clothes. He slumped back in the chair, dead. Garrett stood and brought up his sword. They were looking for the Vestrius. He had hidden it before he left for the guild. He hoped it hadn't been found. Who would do something like this? And where was Donovan?

Garrett moved back into the hall and continued. He had to get to his room. Get the 1st piece of the Vestrius and get the hell out of this grave. He came to the door of his room. It was intact and closed. Garrett listened at the door. He could hear someone just inside, hear their breathing and the faint creak of his bedsprings. They were sitting on his bed. Garrett prepared his sword. With a mighty kick, the door flew open and banged against the wall, its hinges protesting noisily. Garrett rushed inside, sword drawn.

The windows were open, letting the cold breeze in. The thin white curtains blew in the draft, like pale ghosts. The chill of the room seemed more than just cold. As though it carried an essence of menace. The entire room was bathed in the blue moonlight. A figure sat on the bed, cloaked in black the same as Garrett, his entire body covered from face to feet. "Greetings Garrett, I was wondering when you would arrive." The man said. Garrett stopped in the doorway he stared at the man. "Who the hell are you?" He said. It seemed more a threat than a question. "Don't you recognize me? No I don't suppose you do. It had been so long since we last met. I am Keeper Lukas." Garrett stood stunned into silence for a moment. "Please take a seat." Lukas said, motioning to a chair across from the bedside. "I'll stand." Lukas shrugged. "Why are you here? What's going on?" 

"All valid questions my friend, but more than I can answer simply." Lukas said. "I am not your friend, you were the teacher and I was the pupil. The relation ends there." Garrett said coldly. "You are a keeper, we are brothers, bound by the same oath." Lukas said. "No_, you_ are a keeper, I am not. The oath means nothing to me. Words said to appease the ears and satisfy the stupid, nothing more." Lukas showed no hint of emotion. "Whatever the case, I believe you asked a question." "Yes." Garrett said. Lukas nodded slightly. "This house was raided by the watch. They were here on the belief that Donovan was involved a conspiracy with several other nobles to assassinate the Lord Governor. His entire household was believed to be in the know, and so was slaughtered as well; cells are overcrowded enough as it is. Donovan was taken in to the watch station. He is awaiting execution." Lukas finished. "The keepers do nothing but meddle in the affairs of others, I have no doubt you had some hand in this, you seem to know the whole story in any case." Garrett said. "The keepers strive to maintain things the way they were meant to be. To tip the scales to far is to destroy the balance." Lukas said. "I read the chronicles, there is no need to quote it like I am a novice." 

"The chronicles are a wealth of knowledge and wisdom to all an-." "Spare me the fanatical drivel. You still have not answered my question. Why are you here?" Garrett said. Lukas sighed. "I am here to do exactly what you hate the order for. Maintain the balance. Garrett, the Vestrius is an artifact of immense power, it cannot be permitted to fall into the wrong hands." Lukas said. "No." Garrett said plainly. "What?" Lukas said, puzzled. "No, I will not hand it over. That is what you were going to ask was it not? You damned keepers. Always do you preach about keeping the balance, but you are no better than anyone else is. You strive to acquire any item you may need to further your own ends, always claiming to do it for the good. You keep things in the shadows, letting just enough slip to manipulate those who would serve their purpose for you. We are all pawns to you, expendable. To long have you meddled in _my_ affairs, though I have done my utmost to prevent it."

Lukas still showed no reaction to Garrett's statements. "If we truly do keep things in the shadows as you say, then we must have taught you well. You are the shadows; darkness is your business. You have taken the skills we gave you and perverted them, furthered _your_ own ends." Lukas said. "I never said that my actions were to maintain any balance. They are purposed to benefit me." Garrett replied. "Be that as it may, you have aided us in the past." Lukas said. "Never intentionally I assure you." Garrett muttered. "Though you may refute it, you have done so, regardless of intent. Do not make things difficult for yourself or for us." Lukas said tonelessly. "I will not comply, especially not to veiled threats. The Vestrius is in my possession and will remain so. The meddling of the keepers ends here and now." Garrett said, menacingly. "Oh, and by the way _brother_ Lukas, you weren't very thorough were you?" Garrett said. "What are you speaking of?" Lukas asked. "You are a liar is what I am speaking of. Your story doesn't fit. One of the servants told me, before he died, that whoever did this was looking for the Vestrius. You tell me that the watch came and arrested Donovan on conspiracy charges. I'm inclined to believe the man with his last breath of life. I want the truth. What happened here? Was the Vestrius so important that you would slaughter innocents to get it? To preserve the balance? Where is the balance in this?!

There was dead silence as Garrett stopped talking. Lukas spoke; his voice was now a raspy hiss. "I tried to be reasonable with you Garrett, your death would have been quick and painless. But now, I'm afraid we are going to have to do this the hard way."

Lukas sprang at Garrett, his cloak shredded, revealing his true form. The creature was like a cross between a human and lizard. Though its shape was human, it had scales of dark green all over it's body. The head was like that of a snake, flat, with slit eyes and a nose. The arms and legs were strong and heavily muscled. It had webbed feet and humanoid hands. Its chest was also covered in strong muscular tendons. A pair of short membrane wings sprouted from its back. On the forearms were wicked looking claws that grew straight from the skin. They extended to the fingertips and then about the length of a short sword from the fingertips to the point. 

The creature hacked at Garrett with his forearm claws. Garrett brought his broadsword up to parry the blow. The impact was blindingly painful, that alone cracked the bone in Garrett's arm. The blow bent the blade out of shape completely, rendering the sword useless. Garrett cried out in pain. As the creature's second arm came around, Garrett ducked and leapt under it onto the bed. The beast spun around lightening quick and brought a forearm claw whistling down at Garrett's head. Garrett rolled aside and not a moment too soon. The claw raked a slash straight through the mattress. The second claw was descending the moment Garrett rolled. He pushed off the nightstand with his feet, rolling backwards as the claw sliced the mattress where he had just been. The monster gave of a shriek of anger. Garrett rolled off the bed and landed in a crouch. As he did so, the monster grabbed the bed and heaved it aside. It crashed into the desk, splintering both pieces of furniture to matchsticks. The thing came at Garrett, swinging its deadly claws. Garrett ducked the first blow, and dove between the thing's legs. Garrett slid across the polished floor and leapt up, drawing his only dagger. The beast whirled around to face Garrett, shrieking still. Garrett plunged the dagger into the fiend's face. 

The dagger imbedded itself in its jawbone. The thing shrieked even louder, black blood spilling from the wound. It whipped out at Garrett with its forearm claw; Garrett dodged aside, but not fast enough. The blow was only glancing, but the creature's strength was immense. Garrett sailed backwards and crashed through the wooden shutter doors for the closet. It felt as though one or two of his ribs were broken. Clothing spilled out of the closet, as did a bag filled with Garrett's equipment. Garrett stood up quickly, pushing through the haze of pain. The creature was nearly on top of him, having stopped to yank the dagger out of its jaw. Garrett moved, spinning aside as the creature charged past into the closet. Clothes were shredded and blankets ripped apart as its razor sharp claws tore into them. The thing whirled almost at once and charged Garrett again. Garrett once again dodged its deadly thrust. The points of the claws burst through a dresser cabinet. The creature was momentarily stuck, its claws having gone through the dresser and jammed into the wall behind. Garrett toppled the cabinet down on the creature. With a mighty shriek, the thing held up the dresser and, moments later, burst its claws out the sides, sending wood splinters flying. Garrett heaved a desk chair at it. The beast merely swatted it aside, the chair smashed into the nightstand, destroying both.

It advanced slowly on Garrett, arms upraised. Garrett circled with it, moving until his back was to the broken closet. He crouched down and grabbed something, his eyes never leaving the circling monster. With a screech it charged in. Garrett leapt backwards, pushing off the wall next to the closet. He flipped through the air over its head with the help of his boots, nearly hitting the ceiling. As he passed over it, he jammed the mine he had been holding onto its back. The mine was already armed. As Garrett landed heavily facing the beast's back, he threw himself backwards. The creature swiveled around and opened its mouth to shriek. The mine detonated. The explosion was not incredibly large, but still big enough. The room was awash with heat; it singed Garrett's face and burned his skin. Then all was silent. 

The room was filled with thin smoke that was already filtering out the window into the night. Garrett lay on his back on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. His entire body was in pain. It hurt to move, hurt to breathe. He slowly and ever so painfully lifted himself off the floor. The room was in absolute ruin. Partly from his battle with the creature and partly from the explosion. The walls were blackened and there were chunks of wall missing. There was furniture and pieces of furniture strewn around and charred. The door had been blow off its hinges and lay on the floor in the hallway. The windows were shattered and swung brokenly on their cruxes. Amongst the devastation was the smoking carcass of the thing. It lay barely recognizable near the closet. 

Garrett struggled forward. After taking two steps he stumbled and fell to his knees. His ribs and arm were broken, his skin was burned and singed, and the wound he had taken in the Moonshadows guild had reopened. He struggled up, using a broken bedpost as leverage. He stumbled drunkenly towards the closet, collapsing just as he reached it. He stopped his fall with his good arm, rolling onto his side when he hit. Lying next to his split bag of equipment he rummaged through the pile of things until he found one of his healing potions. He uncorked the little glass bottle with his teeth and drank deep. The effect was slow; Garrett must have lay there for an hour or more as the potion worked on his severe injuries. Finally he felt well enough to stand without falling. His injuries were still there, but the pain had been reduced to a tolerable level. He would be able to manage for awhile, before the effects wore off and the pain returned. He gathered up what equipment he could carry in a single backpack and slung it over his shoulder. The wind was blowing through the room and Garrett wrapped his cloak tight about him. He went over the wrecked bed and pulled on the far-left bedpost. The top popped off; a thin wire attached to the bottom. The inside was hollow, with the string running down into it. Garrett pulled the string out. At the end of the wire, there was a cloth bundle tied tightly. Garrett undid the string and unwrapped the cloth. The first half of the Vestrius lay undamaged in his hand, the blue headpiece glowing brightly. He dropped this piece into the leather cylinder with the second piece.

Garrett left the wreckage of Donovan's house and moved off down the dark streets as quickly as he dared, lest the pain take him in his fragile state. His mind felt clouded and his thoughts blurry and fragmented. His senses were dulled and so were his reflexes. He was as vulnerable as a child. Which is why he never saw them coming.

Garrett stumbled through the marketplace, the shops and stalls empty and dark. The fountain in the canal was silent; its water flow turned off for the night. The empty tables outside the café were bathed in the harsh glow of one of the streetlamps that dotted the market square. As Garrett passed a darkened alleyway, a figure stepped out behind him and struck him over the head. He fell to the ground with a thump, unconscious. Five more figures stepped out of hiding and converged upon his unconscious form. "Pick him up." One of them said. "We have much to discuss."


	9. Imprisonment

It was the pain in his chest that woke him. The screaming pain that burned his senses and coursed through him. Garrett came awake slowly; his eyes didn't want to open. His entire body was on fire with pain and it took all the effort he had left not to pass out again. Finally he managed to tear his eyes open. The room was dark, with only the tiniest illumination coming from a torch a short distance away…beyond the bars. Garrett was in a cell, three stone walls and an iron cage front with a door in it. Rusty metal chains hung from the ceiling or we're draped on the floor, attached by iron rings to the wall. Rubble and the bones of long deceased prisoners lay strewn around the cell or piled in the corners. The floor was damp with water and there were pools of it here and there. The occasional rat scurried around in the darkness.

Garrett was chained up by his wrists on a chain connected to the ceiling, his back to the wall. His bare feet hardly touched the floor and it was a wonder his arms hadn't broken while he was unconscious. He had been stripped of his possessions; he wore only his black leggings, which were torn and dirty. His chest had a long red gash across it, caked in blood, and a present from the monster. His ribs still felt broken and in pain, as did his sword arm. The other arm with the gash was also covered in blood; Galen's bandage had been removed. His hair was dirty and matted and his entire body felt grimy. Garrett's face was also bloodied and soiled.

Garrett groaned and shifted, causing more pain to shoot through him. The chains clinked and rattled as he did so. His wrists were raw and chafed; moving only made them worse. He slumped, letting his body slide into a more comfortable position, which also put more pressure on his wrists. How long he waited in that cell he didn't know. The pain was the only constant in his world. There was another cell across the hallway from him, but if there was anyone in there, he couldn't see him or her or hear them in the cell's dark depths. The hallway remained empty, although once or twice Garrett thought he could hear movement nearby. The hours passed without him noticing. He slipped in and out of consciousness until the two states melded together in the chaos of his mind. He could no longer determine if he were awake or in an unconscious world of dreams.

Finally, when he thought that he would soon go mad from the pain and isolation, he received a visit. It was short, but it served to keep him sane a while longer. A door in the hallway creaked open and footsteps sounded in the hall. A large man stepped into the torchlight. He carried a black baton and a bowl and tin cup. Keys jangled at his side. His arms were covered in coarse, black hair and he smelled of beer and blood. The man opened the iron bar doors with a key on his belt and pushed the door open. He walked over to Garrett and reached up to his arms. He unlocked the chains holding him. Garrett collapsed to the floor in a heap and lay still. The man put the cup and bowl down in front of Garrett and prodded him with the baton. "Eay! Eay sit oop yew taffer! Et yer food afore it gits taken away! Yurr lucky tu have ole' Urgoth as a jailer. Ye gits yer vittles every once in a whoile and oi gives ye a chance tu rest yore arms. I tells ya mate, ye gots it purtty good with me." Garrett barely moved, but managed to bring his head up and drag the bowl closer to himself. It was filled with some sort of gray mush, but Garrett didn't care. He put his face in it and ate mouthfuls of it. "Yore lucky yew's so urt or oi'd be beating ya roight now, ohhh how I does enjoy that part." Urgoth got an evil glare in his eyes. "But, gotta follow the master's orders, yew gotta be aloive when he comes to speak to ye. But oi say he'll take care of yore beatings hisself." Aw well I ain't worried, the pretty lass in the uther cell more than makes up fer yew." He smiled a smile of disgustingly sick pleasure. Garrett finished the mush and gulped down the brackish water, spilling it down his chin. Urgoth took the two dishes from Garrett and walked to the door. "Oi ain't gonna lock ye back in yon chains yet, I dun think yew could take much more o' that. Gotta keep yew roight in the 'ead so yew can answer the master's questions. He left the cell; it locked when the mechanism hit the doorjamb. Garrett heard the hall door open and shut again and then there was silence.

Garrett lay on the floor for hours, trying to reorder his thoughts; his mind had become fragmented in the agony he still felt. Finally he remembered what had happened to him. He started to think about his current predicament. Where was he? There were no windows in sight. Then he remembered what Urgoth had said. " The pretty lass in the uther cell." He had said. Garrett laboriously crawled over to the bars and peered into the other cell. Now that he was closer, he could make out the huddled form of somebody on the floor of the cell. "Hey! Hey you!" He called. They didn't move or answer. Garrett grabbed a bone off the floor and hurled it at the bars. They clanged as the bone hit and clattered to the floor. The person stirred and rolled over. "Hey! Over here!" Garrett called again. "Wha…who is there?" The person said. "My name is Garrett." They stood and came over to the bars. It was the girl from the bathhouse.

She was wearing a tattered white and blue blouse. Most of it was torn and frayed. One of her eyes was black and swollen, and her arms were bruised and cut. Her lips were bloody and she wore no footwear. "YOU!" She shouted, her voice hoarse and strained. "You bloody taffer! You disgusting ball of slime encrusted dirt! You filthy bastard!" Her eyes were filled with rage. "What the hell are you talking about? Why are you here?" He questioned, his voice weak. "I'll tell you why I'm here you revolting piece of garbage! You're why I'm here. All of this because of YOU!" She screamed, it echoed in the stone chamber. "What? What's going on?" Garrett said. "Shutup! I don't want to hear your voice you filthy man!" She said, half sobbing. She went to the back of her cell and curled up in a ball, weeping. The effort of moving had tired Garrett, and so he fell unconscious there on the floor of the cell.

When he awoke, the girl had fallen asleep in her cell. He wondered what time it was. The pain seemed to have lessened; he was gaining a tolerance for it. But if he didn't get treatment soon, he could be in serious trouble. He groaned and tried to stand, lying on his broken ribs had probably made them worse. But, he had barely had the strength to turn over before. Now, he felt stronger, as the pain dulled and his resistance to what little was left grew. He was still frail, but he could move and stand and speak, if a little shakily. He got to his feet and picked up another bone. He tossed it at the girl's cell. She woke with a start and looked up. Her face was tearstained and red, making it look even worse. "Listen." Garrett said before she could gather up the strength to yell some more. "I don't know what I did to get you into this, but whatever it was you're here now. Tell me what happened." He implored. "Why should I?" She said defiantly. "Because I'm willing to help you get out of here if you're willing to cooperate with me." He replied. "How are you going to get us out? We're trapped…trapped (sob) I WANT OUT!" She screamed. "Listen to me!" He shouted. "LISTEN! I can get us out and I will. You're here now, sobbing won't help you! You want to escape then you choke back those tears and help me! Otherwise when I get out I'll leave you in that cell!" He finished. "No…" she whispered and started crying into her hands. Garrett couldn' t get another response out of her.

He went and sat down in the corner of his cell, listening to her whimpering and thinking. Finally she stopped. Garrett stood and went back over to the bars. "Are you ready to talk now?" He asked quietly. She nodded. "Ok." He replied, trying to soften his cold voice. "What is your name?" he said. "Claire." She replied softly. "And how did you get here?" He asked. She looked as if she were about to cry again, but didn't. "I don't remember how long ago it was. Time in here is nonexistent. It was about two weeks ago, as far as I can guess. After you left the bathhouse I was in my room, when someone grabbed me from behind. They were strong; they held me tight and put some odd smelling cloth up to my nose. I felt dizzy and collapsed. When I awoke, I was in a small room. Some men came in and started questioning me about you, it was dark in the room and I couldn't see their faces. They asked me if I knew anything about you and many other questions I couldn't answer. But they didn't believe me. They…hurt me…a lot. I pleaded for them to stop, saying I didn't know, but they wouldn't listen." She started to break down again. "Hey stay focused, I'm going to get us out." Garrett promised. She nodded and continued. "When they finally quit, they threw me in here and gave me to the jailer. Every night he comes and…" She drifted off. Her body was shaking. "He touched me…and hurt me…so badly." Her face took on a look of resolve and she bit her lip. "That's all I can remember. I don't know where we are or who did this. I just want to get out." She said. There was silence for a while, neither of them spoke. Finally Garrett broke the spell. "I'm sorry for bringing this upon you." He said. She didn't reply, just stared at him. 

The door slammed opened just then, and several men marched into the hall between the cells, carrying torches. Claire backed fearfully into her cell. The jailer was with them. They stopped in front of Garrett's cell and he opened the door. Two of the larger men strode in, grabbed Garrett by his forearms and slammed him against the back wall. He arched his back in agony and screamed. They held him pinned there. The jailer stood in the hall, watching gleefully and the third man stood by the cell gate. Then another person entered the hall, the men holding Garrett were blocking his view of the man, but he could hear his footsteps. He entered the cell and strode up to the men. "Move aside." He ordered. They parted and stood on either side of Garrett, holding him against the wall. Emilio Cathegar's face appeared in front of him.

"We meet again Garrett." He said. His voice calm, and the same cunning twinkle in his eyes. He wore a suit of green and black, a pace stick held at his side. "It seems that now we have to opportunity to converse at greater length." He said. "Urgoth, take the girl to your room and stay there for the next hour." He said over his shoulder. Urgoth smiled and unlocked the cell. He moved inside. "No…no please NO!" Claire screamed. He dragged her out and down the hall, her screams pierced Garrett like a knife wound. "So, Garrett…what shall we talk about hmm?" He brought his pace stick up and forced Garrett's head sideways against the wall. "Nasty scar that. My boys were a little rough on you it seems. But then, you brought that upon yourself didn't you? It could have been easy you know. You could have given me the Vestrius and your death would have been quick, painless. But no, you fled, fled as all of them do, and now you will suffer for it." He moved his pace stick from Garrett's face and traced it across his chest. "I'm sorry to say that my men did not have the pleasure of inflicting those upon you Garrett. Perhaps you can tell me who did." He jabbed the stick hard into Garrett's chest. He cried out in pain. "Eh Garrett? Who else if after you?" Emilio questioned. "Nobody." Garrett managed to get out. Emilio brought his stick up and cracked it against Garrett's skull. His head whipped aside and blood splattered against the wall. "I don't appreciate lies Garrett. Someone in your position would be wise to take note of that and not do it again." He said, his voice eerily calm. "Now, we'll try that again shall we. Who else wants you?" Garrett didn't answer. He couldn't breath. "Very well, we'll leave that one for now. It is actually better for me that you ran in the first place, come to think of it. You've brought me the second piece. Saved me the trouble of looking for it. Once again Garrett you've been so cooperative." Garrett remained silent, his head bowed, blood dripping from his mouth. Emilio lifted Garrett's chin with the tip of his pace stick. He stared into his eyes, the cunning twinkle never leaving them. "Now, let us continue this discussion." He said.

The longest hour of Garrett's life passed there in that cell. He was questioned and beat until he could speak no more. By the time they were done he was covered in his own blood, bruised and broken and hurt in every place until the pain felt like a second skin, enveloping him completely. Then it came to an end. Emilio left with his men. "Leave him here to rot for a little longer. Then we'll have another chat." That was what he had said before they let go of him. Garrett collapsed to the floor, unconscious before he hit. The hall door slammed shut, and he was alone.

He started awake. He was still in pain, if a little lessened. He looked up just in time to see Urgoth slam the door shut on the cell opposite him and leave. Claire lay on the floor, she was near catatonic. She just lay there, shivering and moaning. Garrett felt sorry for her. That last hour with Urgoth must have broken her. It was his fault she was in this hellhole. He needed her as well; his survival instinct kicked in. He needed her and he needed her sane. "Claire." He whispered. She ignored him completely. "Claire." He said again. Still no response. Then he thought of something. "The price of luxury goods is high ever since the import tax that the lord governor imposed last month. House Janqout has been vying for Edward's downfall because of this. See they can't get their shipments of Zari spice. That's an illegal substance in the city. They're using smugglers, but that's still costing them a fortune. Anyway, did you know that textiles are now more valuable than wine? Its true, the Fermian act makes it like this. See…"

He continued like this for hours. Rattling off the various facts and intricacies of trade and the guilds he had learned from the paper and through talking with Dumont and Faulswitz. He spoke of everything he had heard of from the nobility, all the boring tales and facts. His mouth was dry and his throat parched, not to mention the pain he felt. But it served his purpose. He wanted to keep her mind occupied and focused. Keep her from thinking about the vileness of this place. It worked. At first she just kept shaking. But then, slowly, she lay still. She didn't speak, just let him keep talking, listening to his voice. Clinging to the words as though they were a lifeline and she was drowning in a sea of madness. Then, she dropped off. He could hear her regular deep breathing. He sighed and crawled over to a corner of his cell. He sat up and leaned against the wall, his knees tucked under his chin. Then he too fell asleep.

Garrett awoke again later. He had no idea as to the time. He realized he was getting cold, despite the torches. It was cold in his cell. He huddled tighter into the corner and put his hands under his armpits. Claire was still asleep. He sat there, thinking about what he was going to do. How they were going to escape. Nothing was coming to him. About an hour later the hall door opened, and Urgoth came in. He went to Garrett's cell and unlocked the door. He brought him another bowl of gruel and a cup of water. Garrett stood to get it from the floor where Urgoth had placed it. Urgoth pushed him back down with his baton. "Yew little bastard think yer just gonna waltz over 'ere and take yer food eh? Crawl on yur belly like the worm yew are and lick me boot in thanks yew maggot!" He said obviously feeling particularly cruel. Garrett crawled over and made to do so. Then he grabbed the bowl and started eating furiously. Moments later he was kicked back. There was pain, but he thrust it down. "Big mistake worm!" He said and swung his baton. Garrett caught it across the face. He fell backwards. Urgoth laid into him. His baton rising and falling as he hit Garrett. Then he stopped. Urgoth turned and grabbed the bowl and cup. He flung them into the hallway; they landed with a crash. "Just fer that, yew ain't gettin' any vittles till oi think's yew learned yer lessin'." He went out, slamming the cell door.

Garrett lay back in a haze of fresh agony. He didn't know how much more his body could take before it just gave out. Claire had been wakened by the noise. She came over to the bars and looked at him. "Thank you." She said. "What for?" Garrett managed to ask. "For what you did before, your words…they kept me alive. And now, you distracted Urgoth from taking me again. He was busy hurting you and forgot about me." Claire said sincerely. "Thank you." She whispered. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, this isn't your fault. You didn't know." Claire said. "I may be a courtesan, but I couldn't stand Urgoth. He hurt me so much. Rape isn't any easier if you're an escort. I would have gone mad if you hadn't spoken to me." She stopped and sat down. Crying. Garrett just lay in silence.

Garrett spoke up after some time had passed. "I have a plan." He said. Claire looked up at him, her eyes red. He turned and looked at her pathetic state. "Claire, I need your help with this." He said. "She nodded, drying her eyes on one of her tattered and grimy sleeves. "What do I need to do?" 

****

It was days before Urgoth next came to the prison. His vow to not feed Garrett had apparently extended to Claire as well. It was fortunate in that Claire had several days in which she was not touched. Her mind had time to heal. Both of them were ravenously hungry however, by the time he did come. He entered the hallway in an apparently foul mood. He slammed Claire's cell open and grabbed her viciously by the wrist. She struggled a little but he easily overpowered her. He had brought no food and didn't speak, just dragged her out.

They returned later and he threw Claire into her cell. Her face was ashen but she seemed in control of her faculties. As Urgoth unlocked the cell, Garrett carried out part of his plan. His mechanical eye whirred softly as it zoomed in on the key that he used to unlock Claire's cell. Garrett noted every detail of it and then returned the eye to its regular focus. Urgoth left and slammed the door shut. Garrett moved up to the bars and started whispering to Claire.

****

The next time Urgoth entered Garrett's stomach had shrunk horribly. He was gaunt and pale. Added to his other injuries and uncleanness he looked like a corpse. Urgoth brought no food again this time. He went over to Claire's cell and opened it. He dragged her out and started to shut her cell door. "Hey ugly! How about some food?" Garrett called as he pressed against the bars. Urgoth turned, and left the door open. With a strong hand on Claire's wrist he grabbed Garrett's neck and squeezed. "Usually oi'd beat ye fer that, but the master is forcin' me tu keep ye aloive and fed. There'll be food tomorrow maggot. But yew listen tu me. Axidents 'appen down 'round here, so yew best watch yer step." He said, the true meaning of his words evident. With that he flung Garrett back and left. Garrett sat up, gasping for breath. He peered over to Claire's empty cell. The door was still open.

****

They returned later, Claire didn't look fearful this time. Urgoth went to her cell and tossed her inside. He shut the already open door. The lock mechanism clicked and locked without the key. Urgoth left. As soon as he did, the two prisoners started talking.

****

Urgoth came in once again when it was what Garrett assumed was tomorrow. He had food with him. He used Garrett's cell key and opened his door. He placed the food on the floor. "Now yew maggot. I 'ope ye learned yer lessen. Crawl over 'ere and lick moi boot." Urgoth said, his baton was already out and held at his side. "You know I don't think I will." Garrett said. Urgoth looked incredulous for a second. "DO IT!" He screamed. "Mmmm…. No. In fact, I've got a better idea, why don't you lick my feet." He said, as calmly as he could manage. Urgoth's eyes bulged and his face got red. He brought his baton up. But the strike never fell. 

A rusty chain suddenly whipped over his head and around his neck. The baton dropped from his nerveless grasp as the chain tightened and tightened. His face got redder…but not from anger. He opened his mouth to breath but couldn't. Instead, a choking sound came from his gorge as his eyes rolled back in his head. His tongue lolled out and with a final gag he collapsed to the floor, dead.

Claire let the chain drop from her hands. She stared down at the body, her eyes cold. "Like you said. Accidents happen." She said. Then she seemed to snap out of her reverie and she started crying. They were tears of joy. She flung herself on Garrett and hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder. He sat on the cell floor with her clutched in his arms, comforting her softly. He looked over at her cell. The key was sticking out of the lock. The key he had studied. The key she had stolen from Urgoth when he took her. The key Urgoth didn't know was missing, because the cell door had been open. They were out of the cells but still caged.


	10. In the House of the Cathegar

They had no time to waste. They had to get out before Urgoth was missed. Garrett pushed Claire back. "We've got to get out of here before they find us." He told her. She sniffed and nodded, wiping her eyes. Garrett grabbed the key ring from Urgoth's belt and hefted the baton. He went to the hall door, his entire body was weak, they couldn't afford to fight anyone. Garrett pressed his ear against it. Nothing. He turned the handle slowly and opened the door a crack, sticking his head in. A stone stairway in front of him ascended into darkness. He motioned for Claire to follow him. They two of them headed up the stairs, alert for any sound of approach. At the top of the stairs was another door. "It's Urgoth's room." She said. "He brought me here all the time." Garrett nodded and pushed the door open. The room was empty of life and sparsely furnished. They moved through it and out into a torchlit hallway.

Garrett led the way down the hall to the left. He couldn't leave until he found the Vestrius pieces. He didn't say anything to Claire however. They were about to round a corner when they heard footsteps coming towards them. Garrett ducked into a sideroom, Claire right behind him. It was a storeroom, with boxes piled to the ceiling. He listened at the door until the footsteps faded. They left the room and continued down the hall and around the corner. The hall went on for a few more meters before it hit a deadend. "Where to now?" Claire asked. 

Garrett looked around at the various doors. He saw a pair of double doors off to the right. "How about there?" He said, pointing with the baton. Claire shrugged. He went over and tried the knob. It was locked. He brought out Urgoth's key ring and started trying keys. The fifth one worked and the lock clicked open. They entered the room cautiously. 

The room was fairly large, but with a low ceiling. There was a long table near the wall to their left and two more long tables at either end of the first one, created a U-shaped figure. There were torch brackets along the wall, all of which were unlit. Comfortable looking chairs were positioned around the tables and a particularly large chair was in the middle of the first table. The tables had large clothes of white draped over them that almost touched the floor. There was a low circular platform within the arms of the U-shape. The room was decorated with various paintings along the walls. Another set of double doors were directly across from where Claire and Garrett had entered. 

Garrett surveyed the room and entered cautiously. They were about halfway between the two double doors when the farthest one opened. Garrett pulled Claire with him under the head table, pushing past the cloth. They remained totally silent as a pair of people entered the room. "-re that you understand the layout for tomorrow night?" One of them said. It was Emilio. "Yes sir, perfectly." The other replied. "The guests will be led inside at exactly 9:45pm. I will have them brought into the antechamber until everyone arrives. Then, they will be escorted by thirty of the house guard here. The men will take up positions around the room while the servants show the guests to their seats and begin serving the entrée's. At 10:20pm, you will enter and take your seat, you will give your opening speech and the Vestrius will be brought in and set on the pedestal in its stand by the servants. Then the bidding shall begin." The second man stopped talking. "Very good Colin. Now, you're sure that the correct amount of poison has been purchased from the apothacary?" "Yes sir, I had Frederick aquire it yesterday and checked the amount myself." The other man said. "Good, now, are you sure that the cooks know the correct dosage for each portion?" Emilio asked. "Of course sir, 1/8th of a unit per ten entrees." The man replied. "Excellent Colin! You are a faitful servant and you will be rewarded. With this single stroke we will have drawn out all our competitors for the Vestrius and eliminated them." Emilio said. "Yes sir, it is indeed a cunning plan, brilliant if I may say so." The other man said. They had walked the circumference of the room and we're headed for the doors. "Thank you Colin, oh and did you place the Vestrius in it's proper place?" Emilio asked. "Yes sir, in your personal chambers as requested, in the safe next to your bed." Colin replied. "Good, good…well I will retire to bed now Colin, have the guard doubled on the third floor, I want to feel safe while I sleep." Emilio told him. "At once sir, have a plesant slumber." With that the doors were pulled shut again.

Garrett peered out from beneath the table. He motioned for Claire to follow and stood up, moving quickly to the doors that Emilio and Colin had left by. He pulled to door open and peered out into the stone hallway. He dashed up the hall, his bare feet making no sound on the stone floor. Claire was far less muted and every now and then her feet slapped noisily against the floor. Garrett reached the corner and peered around it, a set of doors at the far end were wide open, allowing for a view of a large room beyond. Garrett turned and put a finger to his lips. Claire nodded and stooped low. Carefully, they padded towards the doors and entered the darkened main hall. 

It had a high vaulted ceiling, supported by marble pillars. The floor was a rich red carpeting, edged with gold. Suits of armor, paintings, busts, sculptures, and plants created the room's décor. The hanging chandeliers were dark, as were the torch brackets so that the only pale light streaming in was from the moonlight coming through three enormous windows above the large front doors. A wide marble staircase dominated the room, with two branches leading away from the landing at the top of the main flight. Above the landing was a large painting of a gallant looking nobleman sitting on his horse, a sword held high above his head and a battle cry frozen on his lips. Several other passages also led off the main hall which was, at the moment, devoid of life.

The two former prisoners started out into the grand hall, but while Claire nearly dashed for the main doors, Garrett made for the stairs. Claire stopped in front of the doors and turned to face Garrett, who was ignoring her. "Where are you going? The doors are here." She said. "I've got to get something first." He replied distractedly. "What? What do you need to get? I don't understand. We need to get out of this place, I need to get out of this place!" Claire said, her voice rising. Garrett stopped and turned around. "I can't leave without this thing. You can do as you like but I need to get it." Garrett said. "What? You promised you'd help me out. I don't know what's going on but I don't want any part of it!" She started to shout. "Shutup!" Garrett hissed. "I'll get you out, but first I've got to do this. You can go out those doors and try to cross the grounds yourself, but even if you do manage it there is still the outer gate." Garrett said. "What makes you such an expert?" She said angrily. "I've had a bit of experience in these matters but that's not the point. You stick with me and I'll get you free or you can go it alone I don't care." Claire stood there looking furious. "Fine, I'll come with you, but we'd better get out soon." Garrett shrugged and started for the stairs again. In truth it was probably better that she was with him. If she were captured, they would raise an alarm and make his escape much more difficult. Now that he was out of his cell, his instincts were back in control, which meant he was looking after Garrett and only Garrett. But something nagged him at the back of his mind. He couldn't have gotten out without her help, he owed her. Garrett pushed the feeling down, his adrenaline was high and he needed to keep it there or his grievous wounds would incapacitate him and most likely be fatal. No more emotion until he was out.

****

Derrick was a capable guard. He had muscle and an IQ with more than a single digit. He patrolled a dark third floor corridor, completely at ease in his surroundings. He had a sword at his side and there was an entire barracks within shouting distance. And now that the guard had been doubled on this floor it seemed almost crowded. He whistled tunelessly as he rounded a corner and readjusted the chainmail tunic he wore. He loved his job here. He got to rough up people and look tough, and he got paid for it! There was nothing better in Derrick's mind. He hadn't even been injured once. 

The hall before him was dark like the rest. He strode jauntily down the carpet, life was good. Derrick heard a noise at the far end of the hall and his hand was on his sword hilt in a flash, checking that it was clear in it's sheath. Another guard rounded the corner at the far end. Derrick relaxed, his nerves instantly cooled and his muscles unbunched. The other guard continued towards him. "Evenin' Derrick. Nothing happening?" Derrick felt slightly sheepish. "Nothing at all Tom, you?" Derrick said. "Can't say that I've seen anything, but best to keep eyes open." Tom said. He tipped his helmet to Derrick and strode off. Now Derrick felt stupid. _What in the hell could possibly get in here? I'm too tense._ Derrick thought.

He had gone nearly two feet after that thought when it happened. A dark shape dropped from the rafters behind him, landing with a soft thump on the carpet. Within another fraction of a second It sprang at Derrick before he could turn. Something ridged rammed against his throat, cutting off his air. He tried to cry out but the device at his neck prevented him from any verbal action. His assailant half-dragged him over to a side door and pulled him inside, shutting the door with his foot. All of this happened within five whole seconds, and then the hall was empty once more. 

The room was dark and his assailant had him from behind, he could hear the man's heavy breathing. He also felt the presence of someone else in the darkness. The thing at his neck pressed harder and he made a gurgling sound. "You even think of doing something stupid and you'll be dead before you can act on it." The voice was cold and sinister. Derrick grabbed at his neck weakly, trying to relieve the pressure. Then the other person spoke. "He's choking to death, let him breathe or we won't get anything out of him." The voice was female and sounded scared. Derrick's attacker grunted in answer and the pressure on the guard's neck slackened, allowing him to breath. He gulped in air, his breathing ragged. "Tell me where Emilio's chambers are." The man said, his voice no less cold than before. Derrick spluttered out the directions in haste and the man made him repeat them twice before he was satisfied. "You've been very helpful." The man said. With that Derrick's helmet was pushed off and the baton whipped off of his neck and descended on his skull with a sharp crack. As Derrick blacked out, he vaguely remembered thinking about how he no longer held the record for no injury.

****

"They make it almost to easy." Garrett said as he dragged the guard's unconcious form into the stone fireplace. In truth, that last stunt had drained him terribly, but he didn't say it. Claire stood watch by the half open door her face a mask of disgust. "Let's get going." He said after the guard had been placed to his liking. They crept out into the hallway and started off towards where the guard had said Emilio's room was located. After dodging the odd guard patrol or sentry, the pair arrived at Emilio's bedroom. The doors were very tall and flanked by two guards holding pikes. Garrett observed this from far down the hall within the cover of a sideroom. They couldn't get past those guards and he doubted they would leave their post for any reason. Garrett's eyes searched the room they were hiding in for an answer. "What if we went through there?" Claire said, pointing to the far wall. Garrett looked to where her fingers were pointing and smiled internally. "That'll do it." He replied.

The metal vents were tight, noisy, and hot. Garrett crawled on his hands and knees down the shaft, Claire right behind him. Bars of light filtered through the grating at odd intervals, their only source of light. The ducts ran the length of the hall, with branches inwards to every room to allow air to flow through the mansion. When Garrett saw the pike of one of the door guards through the grate, he knew he was at the right duct. He and Clair slithered down it and peered into Emilio's room. A large, four poster bed was directly across from them, gauze drapes hanging from the canopy, surrounding the sleeper. The room was furnished with various decorations and items usually found in the chambers of the wealthy. A small iron safe was next to Emilio's bed. 

Garrett popped the grating as quietly as possible and pulled it into the vent. Then he slid himself out without a sound, head first. Claire came next, Garrett helping her out. He motioned for Claire to stay put and started off towards the safe. The floor was carpeted, and so Garrett had an easy time staying silent. But, as he crept towards Emilio's bed he missed an ottoman sitting at the foot of an armchair. Garrett's bare foot caught on the footrest and he toppled forward. His reflexes were dulled but he was still quick. As he fell forward he stretched his arms out. When he hit the floor he used his momentum to propel himself forward into a roll that deadened almost all of the sound. He came up near a dresser and nearly lost his balance, almost crashing into it. He managed to steady himself however, and stood perfectly still, arms outstretched to either side. Garrett waited…nothing. He exhaled deeply and brought his arms back down to his sides.

Garrett crept over to the safe and knelt in front of it. It was key locked which meant the proper key had to be close by. Garrett stood and pulled open the gauze drapes around the bed. Emilio lay slumbering, swathed in blankets and nearly submerged in soft satin pillows. Around his neck was a golden chain, a small key hanging at the end. Garrett felt a sudden rage well up inside of him. He could kill this bastard right now, choke him to death, smother him in his damn luxury! He should! Why the hell not? So much pain, so much torment caused by this evil bastard! So much… But he could not. It was only practical. Garrett was terribly weak. If he somehow failed to do it properly or if Emilio overpowered him or even simply raised an alarm, he would be dead. No, as much as he felt it was his duty to kill this man, he let his survival instincts override his emotions as he promised himself he would. The feeling of rage left him and he set to work.

Garrett's hand's were dexterous and delicate. With perfect care he lowered his hands to the key and lifted it off Emilio's chest. There was no catch at the key end, he would have to take it off Emilio's neck. Slowly, he lifted the key, his hands wavering only slightly as they were poised in the air. Garrett drew it back towards Emilio's face, sliding it over his head. The chain brushed his cheek slightly and Garrett froze for nearly a minute… Emilio didn't stir. He managed to get the key off of Emilio's neck and draw it up from behind him. Garrett pulled the key to himself and held the chain so it would not clink even slightly. He drew the curtains back and knelt in front of the safe again. He slowly twisted the key, making sure it wouldn't squeak in the lock. The safe opened silently, it's heavy bolts well greased.

Inside there were two shelves. The bottom one held various trinkets of the rich. A jewelled dagger, a small intricately carved silver and gold box, a tiny pouch of illegal spice, stacks of gold coins, a half empty bottle of expensive wine, a pair of crystal goblets, a leather bound book, various incriminating documents and so on. On the top shelf was Garrett's prize. The two pieces of the Vestrius, now joined, lay on a pillow. It now resembled an intricate, short wand the blue stone glowly faintly as ever. The silver band on the middle of the first piece had moved down to where the two pieces joined, binding them together. Garrett retrieved a small pouch from the dresser and looted the safe. He took the dagger, the coins, and the Vestrius. Everything else was of no use to him. Garrett placed the key inside the safe and shut the door, the mechanism locking as he closed it. Just one more complication for Emilio to deal with tomorrow. He slid into the shoulder strap on the small pouch, letting the strap cross his chest and hang the pouch at his side.

Garrett padded back to Claire who had watched with bated breath as he worked. He led her by the wrist over to the balcony doors. He opened the two glass-paned doors and stepped out onto the balcony. The balcony overlooked the dark, tree studded grounds below. An outer wall surrounded the acreage and beyond that the city stretched out, the twinkling lights glittering in the darkness and the smoke stacks from the many factories jutted up belching smoke into the cold night. Garrett could just make out the bay at the far edge of the city. Claire stood next to him looking out at the sprawling metropolis. "It's been so long since I've seen the outside…smelt the air." She said, tears welling in her eyes. Garrett shushed her with a curt look. "How are we going to get down?" She asked tersely, angry that he was so commanding. Garrett surveyed the surroundings. There was a drain pipe next to the balcony but he doubted that he or Claire would have the strength to climb down. There was also a thick cable stretched from Emilio's roof to a lower rooftop across the wall. This gave the cable a steep angle. Garrett tested its smoothness with his hand. _It just might work._ He thought. Garrett reentered the bedroom and quietly opened a dresser drawer. It didn't hold what he wanted. He went to the next drawer down. _Excellent._ Garrett pulled the two thickest belts he could find out of the several that were in the drawer beside the sweaters. He went back to the balcony and shut the doors. He handed a belt to Claire and looped his own around the cable. "What is this for?" She said "What does it look like? It's your way down." He replied. The realization dawned on her. "Are you crazy! We'll be killed!" She said in a loud whisper. "No we won't. Just hold on tight and you'll be fine." Garrett replied as he hopped up onto the thick stone balustrade. "I can't do this." Claire wailed. "Either you do or you stay here, your choice." Garrett said.With that he leapt off the balcony. 

He started sliding immediately as gravity took hold. He picked up speed, sliding faster and faster. He tucked his legs close up to his chest, increasing his momentum. The descent was over in seconds. He whisked over the outer wall and towards the roof. The instant the roof top appeared beneath his feet he let go. He landed with a thump on the flat roof and rolled forward, slowing him down enough so that he was able to stop. Garrett stood and turned towards the mansion. He waited for a few moments and then he saw the sillouette of Claire mount the balcony railing and launch herself. She approched rapidly, and didn't even cry out, to her credit. As she sped towards the rooftop she let go to early. Her momentum still allowed her to reach the roof but Garrett caught her before she injured herself and both of them fell in a heap.

They untangled themselves. Or at least Garrett did. Claire lay on the roof, half laughing and half crying. It was nearly two minutes before Garrett could get a response out of her and then it was merely an "I love you." And she would kiss him on the cheek and fall to laughing again as tears streamed unchecked down her cheeks. Finally, she managed to bring herself under control and was able to follow Garrett as he leapt to a small shed in the yard and from there to the ground. They exited through the wooden yard gate and walked down the alley to the main street. Claire leaned on Garrett as they stumbled down the street in the cold night. Now that the excitement was over they began to feel the pain and the cold. Garrett's adrenaline left him with an increasingly sharp pain in his chest and arms. The cold bit at his bare arms. Claire shivered as well, and her scars and bruises didn't look to healthy. At first Garrett couldn't remember where they were going, merely staggering dazedly. Then he recognized the green marble of the bathhouse walls, its windows alight. Claire did to. She started towards it, pulling him with her. "Come with me, we will be taken care of here. The matron looks after her courtesans and she will hide me and you if we need it." Claire said. Garrett shook his head. "No, I can't, I've got to find someone quickly. You go, you'll be safe, they'll be after me." Garrett said and pushed her off. She didn't go immediately, but stared him in the eye. Then, she went up and embraced him, kissing him deeply. When she finally broke away, she gave him one final look and dashed off shakily and disappeared into the bathhouse. Garrett touched a hand to his lips. He had felt nothing.

Garrett now turned away from the bathhouse and moved off into the darkness. The cold cut him and felt searingly hot, as though it was under his skin, burning his nerves. His lips were turning blue and he began to spend long periods stooped over couching violently. He could taste the copper tang of blood on his tongue, mixed with bile. And throughout him the pain returned full force. His eyes were clouded and he felt as though he were in a hazy dream. Those who passed him stopped and stared, but none offered to help. The cobblestones cut and scraped at Garrett's bare feet making him stumble and his exposed, gaunt chest pained him even more, so that the agony felt like a palpable entity within him. He could feel death coming for him, hear its ghostly call from the void. The last thing Garrett remembered was knocking on a door somewhere. As it opened, Garrett finally could no longer stand the pain. The ground rushed up to greet him.


	11. A New Agreement

Darkness enveloped him, like an all-encompassing blanket it encased his form in its depth. Time stood still in that dark place, there was no beginning or end to anything, only silence. With an audible snap, a rectangle of light appeared in front of him, blinding him with its abrupt appearance. The silhouette of a man appeared at the door. "Stand up boy." He said. Garrett stood and walked to the door, his eyes slowly adjusting to the harsh light. Garrett exited into the bright light of the courtyard. He remembered this place; he had spent many of his years here. The Keeper Compound. The man standing beside him was a Keeper, cloaked in black, despite the sun and the warmth. "Move." He said, and pointed to the cobbled area of the courtyard. Garrett walked over and stood waiting. The keeper walked to the cobbled area and stood facing Garrett across it. "Take this." The keeper said tonelessly and produced a sword from within his cloak. He tossed it to Garrett, who caught it effortlessly. The keeper raised his own sword and held it out in a ready position. "Begin." The keeper moved with speed, attacking Garrett swiftly. Garrett defended with equal skill, thrusting and countering wherever he saw an opening. Their blades flashed in the sunlight as they danced each seeking an opening. 

Then Garrett found his opening. He parried a swing directed at his legs. The keeper was slow in recovering. Garrett whipped his sword up around his head and down on the keeper's skull. He clove down the center, his blade ripping the cloak in half. It was empty. Garrett's sword wriggled in his hand, as though it had a life of it's own. The handle was searing to the touch and Garrett dropped the blade with a start. The weapon wriggled and jerked its form changing shape, colour, and dimensions. The Vestrius now lay on the cobblestones between Garrett and the empty cloak, its blue stone glowing. A blinding flash exploded from the artifact and a bolt of black lightning blasted skyward. Garrett was hurled from his feet. The sky darkened instantly, and bars of dark clouds edged with deep purple appeared in the sky in fast motion. Rain poured forth from the heavens, drenching the courtyard and hammering the ground. Lightening flashed from the sky and thunderclaps pealed angrily. Garrett stood, his entire form drenched, water dripping off him. 

Cloaked forms appeared all around him in the courtyard. Each time the lightning flashed they came closer and closer until they formed a ring around the cobblestones. The Vestrius suddenly twirled skyward and stopped hovering above Garrett's head; the blue stone on it glowed brilliantly. The hoods on the cloaked beings flew back and each one had the head of the beast Garrett had seen at Donovan's estate. They screeched their unearthly call in unison... the sound was deafening. There was a tremendous bang, a flash of lightning and the beasts were gone. 

A door in the courtyard opened and a figure strode out; Garrett couldn't make out whom. Then it was in front of him. It was Donovan. "GarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrett GarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrett." The voice spoke so fast it was incoherent. Pop. It was Emilio's evil grinning face. "G-a-r-r-e-t-t." He said agonizingly slowly. He raised a blood-drenched dagger over his head, the rain doing nothing to cleanse it. Garrett suddenly found he was holding a sword. The swing seemed to take an eternity, each second extended into hours; and the rain dripping off the unblemished steel. The blade cut through Emilio's neck and his body toppled back while his head rolled aside; there was no blood. When the head hit the ground it was that of Urgoth, bloated and blue, his tongue lolling out. A woman screamed somewhere and suddenly every light was extinguished. There was another clap of thunder and a colossal flash of lightning… 

****

Garrett sat bolt upright in bed. He was drenched in sweat and shivering. Outside the rain hammered against the window. Garrett surveyed his surroundings. He was in a dark, circular bedroom with a single window and door. It was furnished with the usual bedroom accouterments. Garrett was in a four poster bed of clean white sheets. Behind him was a half canopy of gauze, which extended a quarter of the way down the bedsides. Garrett was breathing heavily as he slumped back down into his bolsters. He was dressed in a light set of cotton garments. Garrett was too tired to worry about where he was or who had brought him here. As he drifted off to sleep he noticed something, the absence of pain.

Garrett awoke several hours later as the bedside clock told it. It was still the early hours of the morning; the sky was a Grey-black, and the rain was unrelenting. Garrett rose and moved over to the dresser. He poured himself a glass of water from the metal pitcher and drank deep. Garrett looked at himself in the mirror. He felt much better than before. The pain in his chest and limbs was gone, replaced by a dull numbness within him. His body was healing quite well, the wounds were closing and the swelling in his bruises was going down. He was still weak, but it was more fatigue than physical pain. Garrett went and sat on the edge of the bed in the darkened room, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. 

About an hour later the door to his room creaked open. Garrett looked up as Galen entered the room. She smiled at him. "You're finally awake." She said. Garrett nodded. "Where are we?" He asked. Galen lit an oil lamp near the door and went to stand near the dresser. "You're in my tower." She told him, her eyes examining him closely. "How did I get here?" He asked, looking down at the floor. "I've no idea. You showed up at my door looking like a walking corpse and collapsed on my doorstep. My servants took you in and I used my magic to heal you. You've been asleep for nearly two days straight." She told him. "I barely remember anything about that night." He said. "How did I even find your house? I was delirious with pain…I…it was all I remembered. I knocked on a door and then…nothing." He said, and looked up at her with dark eyes and she looked back sympathetically. "I don't know Garrett." She said plainly. There was silence for a time as Galen watched Garrett stare silently out the window into the rainy mist. "Are you tired?" She said suddenly. Garrett took a few moments to respond. "No." was all he said. "In that case, I've got something to show you." She said. Garrett stared at the rain for a moment more. "Alright."

****

The study was dark; the only light came from the two windows across from each other and the pale glow they radiated from the downpour outside and from the small lamp on the desk. Galen and Garrett sat side by side in two high-backed chairs in front of the desk. A large leather-bound tome lay open in front of them. One of many countless others which stood or lay on tall, cluttered bookshelves that reached almost to the top of the circular chamber. 

"This is the creature that attacked me at Donovan's manor." Garrett said quietly as his finger traced the drawing aimlessly (he had told Galen all that had happened since they parted). The picture was a crude but effective sketch of the creature from Donovan's manor; its forearm claws were outstretched above its head, which was thrown back in a shriek. Garrett shivered and tightened the robe Galen had lent him. Next to it were strange characters that Garrett recognized at once. "These are keeper runes he said." He said, his eyes flicking over the writing. "Yes." Galen said. "This is one of the many chronicles which the Keepers have written. It details the Age of Creation. This section is on the early races of the Age and this… is a Raknesh." She said solemnly. Garrett wondered for a moment on how the Keepers would know about anything during the Age of Creation. Most scholars had nothing but theories. He wondered a moment more about how _Galen_ could have obtained such a volume.

"The Raknesh was a race that came before mankind even existed. They were beings of powerful magical abilities, which they used to shape and alter the physical world. They were not a kind people and they preformed many cruel acts of murder and torture upon other races and each other in their time. They were a scourge upon the world of then, and used their powers for their own sick and twisted pleasure. The Gods grew angry at this evil that had come into being in the world and so punished the Raknesh for their malicious ways. All of their blood were stripped of their magical abilities and forever sealed in a labyrinth of impenetrable stone and magic. All of their power was trapped in a single artifact crafted by the Gods for that singular purpose."

"And that Artifact is the Vestrius, right?" Garrett said, interrupting Galen's tale. "No." She said. "The Vestrius is but the key to…let me continue." She said. Garrett gave her a strange look but shrugged. 

"Now, although the Raknesh were a terrible people, there was still one among them who was bigger and more evil than any other. Thus…he became their leader, self-appointed, of course. He was known as Xath-en, and it was for him that the Gods devised a special arrangement. He would be bound to the artifact for all eternity. Sealed in the labyrinth with every other Raknesh, he would feel the consuming hunger for the artifact, which was sealed deep within the maze, out of his grasp. The hunger would gnaw at the core of him, his magic, and cause him immense pain when separated as such. The Gods hide the entrance to the maze and created a magical key for it, that, is the Vestrius."

"So, if you only hold the key, you've got other plans, right?" Garrett said. Galen looked up, her face partially shrouded in the shadows. "Yes, Mister Garrett." She said, her voice sounded ominous. The thunder boomed outside and Garrett stared into her eyes for a moment. "How did the Raknesh get out then? Weren't they sealed in the maze?" Garrett said slowly. "It is possible that due to the proximity of the Vestrius pieces to each other, the magical seal may have weakened and some may have escaped. Xath-en would still hold dominance over them all, even with his power in check he is still the strongest and most cunning. He would send them after the Vestrius and they would listen, for he is…persuasive. Or I could be completely wrong; we have no way of knowing. If they obtain the Vestrius they could open the labyrinth to the outside and deeper in. They would have their power and their freedom, exactly what they want." "But the one at the manor sounded human, sounded like a keeper, how is that possible?" Garrett asked. "Though their magic could be separated, their innate psionic mental abilities are impossible to remove. Their minds have the power to alter their features and senses. They can give themselves larger musculature, elongated bones, and enhanced vision. Their mental capacity allows them to mimic the verbal patterns of any living organism or give them reflexes, which border on precognition. However, they only have to ability to alter a few at once, for they must divide their energies properly. So, if one were to enhance his speed tremendously, he would have little or none left to assist in anything else. They cannot, take on the form of another, shapechange, so they would need to conceal their appearance were they to infiltrate human society." Galen finished and peered back at the book. 

Garrett watched her stoically. "I think its time you told me what your plans are. I've got a feeling our business is not yet concluded." Galen slowly sat up in her chair and turned to face him. "The original deal can obviously no longer stand, Donovan is missing or dead and your payment with him. I offer an alternative solution to your dilemma." Galen said, "I thought you might." Garrett replied sardonically. Galen ignored him. "Within the labyrinth is more than simply tunnels and passages. There is a vast hoard of both wealth and knowledge contained within the vaults below. This, Mister Garrett, is my goal, to plunder that hoard." Galen said. "That's it? A simple treasure hunt? That's the value of this 'Vestrius'?!" Garrett exclaimed incredulously. "You have no idea as to the extent or the power of this hoard mister Garrett." As Galen said this, her eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment. "I'm willing to share it Mister Garrett." Galen said, snapping out of it and staring at Garrett again. "What about these…Raknesh?" Garrett questioned. "Won't they be a danger?" he asked. "Of course they will, and a very deadly one at that. But, they are unavoidable if we are to take what we want. And…I concede that your abilities would be a great help in circumventing them." Galen replied. Garrett sat thinking for a moment. "How will we know where these vaults are?" Garrett asked, determined to have all the details laid out. "I have been able to acquire a very dated map of the labyrinth, that should allow use to find these vaults quickly enough." Galen said. "Just how dated?" Garrett asked. "There may have been some structural alterations throughout the years due to cave-ins and such, but I doubt they will pose such a difficulty." Galen told him. 

Garrett mulled this over for a time. Finally he responded. "I guess I don't have a choice if I want my compensation for this venture." Garrett said. "Indeed you don't, but believe me, it will be worth the hazard." Galen said. "It had better be a _substantial_ amount, I want a choice in what my share consists of _and_ Galen…if we do this we do it together, no secrets." Garrett said, staring hard into her face. Galen looked back for a few moments, her face just as cold. "I am disappointed to think that you still believe that I harbor mistrust or hate for you Garrett, I thought we had become more that just associates." Galen said tonelessly. "Then I'm sorry for disappointing you." Garrett said unfeelingly. "Business is business Galen." Garrett said simply and held out his hand. Galen looked at it and then at him. "Then we have a deal." She said stiffly, and shook it.


	12. Caged Ones

Lightning slashed down through the sky, in vicious lines of white hot primal energy. Thunder reverbrated through the air and rain fell in driving sheets. The dense woodlands below swayed under the howling force of the wind and everything within dripped with water and smelled of wet earth and loam. Two figures pressed through the undergrowth, undaunted by the elemental forces that were at work that night. One wore a black cloak and hood, the other had on a tight fitting body-glove of green and black and carried a light pack and a plain wooden staff.

"Are you sure it's here?" Garrett said as he pushed through a patch of bushes. He had been able to get some supplies for their expedition with a portion of Galen's funds. He had a set of lockpicks and a dagger, as well as a coil of rope and a hook, a compass, a short bow, and a quiver of twenty broadhead arrows. The cloak Galen had lent to him from her extensive wardrobe and though it was a little small, it would do. Galen's outfit looked very fashionable and functional as well and Garrett had actually found himself staring at her figure for an extended period on one occasion. The rain had soaked Garrett to the bone and gotten into much of his equipment, despite his best efforts to protect it. "Yes. I am sure it is here" Galen said . Her crimson hair was tied back in a long pony tail and the rain seemed to slide off her clothes and skin. "Remember Garrett, surprise is the most important factor when dealing with these creatures." Galen said, and leapt a rotten log that crossed their path. "So you've told me." Garrett said with a hint of exasperation. "This is vital! When the Raknesh are taken by surprise, they have no time to enhance any of their combat abilities and so are easily killed." Galen said scoldingly. Garrett chose to remain silent.

They travelled for another twenty minutes through the forest, not speaking unless it was to discuss a change in direction. Then, a bright light appeared further ahead between the tree trunks, unquenched by the rain that pierced the forest cover. Garrett crouched low, indicating that Galen should do the same. He pulled out his short bow and fitted an arrow to it. The rain had not touched the string, thankfully. With his bow ready, he slunk forward in a crouched position, Galen following with her staff gripped in both hands.

They came upon the edge of a large clearing. The area was strewn with the remnants of some ancient structure. Crumbling walls and pillars extended up from the generous covering of rubble that blanketed the clearing. Free-standing torches had been placed at various locations around the area. Their fire was magical in that the rain could not extinguish it.

Garrett was about to step out into the clearing when Galen grabbed his arm and yanked him back. He was about to say something but Galen put a finger to her lips and slipped quickly behind a tree. Garrett forgot his retort and melted into the shadows of a patch of undergrowth. From his position Garrett could see the second story of a collapsed rampart of some sort. A Raknesh appeared atop it, the rain dripping off the beast's features. Another flash of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the creature in stark relief. It peered about the area for a moment and then turned and moved out of view. 

Garrett moved out of the undergrowth and quickly moved back to the clearing edge. Galen appeared beside him and after indicating what he was going to do, Garrett dashed out into the clearing, head low and bowstring taut. He leapt piles of rubble and practically floated across the trecherous ground with no more sound than a mouse. He reached the ruined wall in six seconds and pressed his back to it. He peered around the corner of the wall, through a half collapsed archway into a broken stone courtyard. A shattered fountain was in the center and the whole area was surrounded by low ruins. He saw no signs of movement in the courtyard and turned back from the corner, motioning for Galen to come to him. She crossed the ground quickly and joined him at the wall.

"Do you know where the entrance is?" Garrett said in as low a whisper as the storm would allow. Galen nodded. "There should be a stairway leading below ground somewhere beyond that courtyard." She said. Garrett didn't like it, the square was to open, it offered no concealment. "Isn't there any way around the yard? It's too exposed." Garrett said. "No, the entrance is through the square and beyond a building on the opposite side. We'll have to climb to the roof and down the backwall to reach it." Galen said. Garrett sighed mentally. "Ok, follow my lead, were going to try and stay close to the courtyard walls and slip past quickly." Garrett said and slid over to the corner again. He checked the courtyard once more. There was still no sign of any Raknesh. Garrett quickly slipped around the corner and moved out into the square, staying close to the shattered building walls and broken garden fences. 

As the pair passed an open doorway, they heard movement directly behind them. Garrett didn't want to find out what it was and rolled himself over the short stone wall just beyond the doorway, yanking Galen with him. He landed on his back inside an overgrown and ruined garden with Galen lying on top of him. Both lay absolutely still and silent, holding each other tight so as not to slip. Through the spaces in the bushes that they lay behind, Garrett could see three Raknesh enter the garden through the tall rusted gate and move amongst the growth, conversing in their hissing language. They wandered the garden for a time, talking with each other and poking around. Garrett knew he and Galen had to move before they were discovered. He communicated this to Galen through signals and whispers. She nodded and with perfect care, rolled off of him. Garrett wriggled around in the bush until he could see the positions of the beasts. Two were on the far side, looking past a tall iron fence into the wilderness beyond and talking. The third was near the doorway into one of the attatched houses, leaning on the doorframe and looking across the garden.

Garrett motioned for Galen to follow him and silently crawled out of the bushes and across the wet grass of the lawn into another patch of bushes, with a tree standing out of it. Galen was right behind him. From there, they crawled towards the house to their right, keeping low amongst the brush. They reached the broken wooden doorframe and crawled inside. 

The house was barren except for a generous covering of rubble. It's ceiling was partially caved in and the rain pelted in through the gaping hole past the second floor and into the basement. Garrett went into a crouched walk and moved over to the hole. After examining it for a moment, he grabbed onto a crooked metal pole hanging from the roof and began shimmying up it. He stopped at the second floor and looked back down to Galen. She tossed her staff up to Garrett and began her climb, having no more difficulty than he did. Garrett led the way through a gap in the second floor wall and down a short drop the the roof of the adjacent building. From here they made their way parallel to the courtyard across the building roofs and down the backwall of a building at the far end. Several times they stopped and crouched fearfully behind whatever cover was available as Raknesh passed through the courtyard.

They were in another overgrown garden past the courtyard. Galen picked her way through the shrubbery and over the short stone wall at the back, with Garrett following quickly behind her. The area behind the house was a cemetary, the crumbling headstones were worn with age, their epithets barely discernable. In the center was a small mausoleum. Its stone door was wrenched back on its heavy rust-covered hinges as though some monumental force had smashed it open. Garrett and Galen moved quickly past the gravestones towards the crypt. "This wrecked town used to be a small farming community of one of the ancient civilizations. The great leader of this civilization did something to offend the gods and so they thought to kill two birds with one stone, and chose this place under which to build their prison for the Raknesh… and the rest of the empire. The Raknesh had some slight enjoyment for the first hundred years of their eternity as they…interacted…with their guests." Galen explained as they reached the crypt door. "But why chose an outlying community? Why not strike the capital?" Garrett asked. "I've no idea how the gods think, if that is what they even do. But, this was ancestral home of the leader, I assume that by destroying his roots, the gods destroyed his seed entirely." Galen said as a particularly large clap of thunder rent the air. 

Galen looked up at the inscription above the doorway. Garrett could not read the runes but apparantly Galen could. "It says: _This door is the seal that shall keep a great evil from this world. Should the portal be opened and the seal_ _rent asunder, then the wrath visited upon the earth shall be thy punishment." _Galen translated. "Well whoever opened it doesn't seem to care much for that." Garrett said and stepped lightly over the threshold. The inside had room enough for the single sarcophagus within and space to slip around it. The lid was shattered and thrown aside. Galen tapped her staff twice and a blue light glowed softly from it, yet it seemed to reach even the darkest corners. Garrett peered inside and recoiled quickly. There was no body, but rather a large hole in the coffin's center that seemed to eat up the light that reached it and threaten all who looked upon it. Garrett could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he looked at the pit, like someone had blow a chill breath across his skin. He turned to Galen who looked back at him with wide eyes and a staring expression that chilled him to the bone. "There is an inscription." She said after a moment. Her voice was oddly distorted. Garrett's eyes flicked over to the plaque at the tomb's foot:

The emperor of the five lands,

His kingdom gone and fell,

For defiance of the gods

His punishment here tell,

The beasts of yore were caged

To keep their evil from the lands,

The emperor unsatisfied

Did, with mortal hands,

Offend the gods of protection,

Forfeit his life and soul,

And now he lies forever

With the caged ones deep below

He looked back up at her slowly. "What does it say?" He asked. Galen read aloud, her voice ominous.

The emperor of the five lands,

His kingdom gone and fell,

For defiance of the gods

His punishment here tell,

The beasts of yore were caged

To keep their evil from the lands,

The emperor unsatisfied

Did, with mortal hands,

Offend the gods of protection,

Forfeit his life and soul,

And now he lies forever

With the caged ones deep below

Galen finished, her lips trembled and her staff shuddered in her shaking hands. Garrett heard the soft moaning of a person, like a child. It seemed far away at first but then it was as though they were whispering right next to him. He whirled around…but there was nobody there…

Suddenly a roar rose up that drowned out the storm. Galen screamed and grabbed Garrett tight, her staff going out as she did so. He yanked her with him behind the coffin as the noise got louder. He sat with his back against the plinth under the coffin and clutched Galen tight. She was crying hysterically and her fingers were digging into his skin. As they huddled together the noise rose to such a level that Garrett thought his ears would pop and his brain would burst. Then abruptly, it stopped, and the only sound was the storm outside. Garrett heard a flapping sound from the other side of the coffin which was replaced seconds later by the clicking of claws on the smooth stone floor. Garrett leaned around the plinth and saw a Raknesh standing in front of the tomb. It was facing the doorway and its short wings were extended. The creature strode out into the storm a moment later and they were left alone in the burial chamber.

Galen had stopped sobbing and her face was buried in the folds of Garretts cloak. He slowly lifted her head up with his hands. Her features were tear-stained and her eyes were red. They looked at each other for several moments, their eyes seemed locked. Then Galen let go of him and stood up. "I believe that this place is sensitive to magic. It is most likely caused by the intersection of so many powerful entities, past and present. My use of magic is apparantly tying me into a web of power that I am not yet ready to tap. I believe my powers will be of little use here." She said, picking up her staff. Garrett simply nodded and leapt up and into the coffin. His fear of the opening in the coffin seemed to have stopped now that Galen's magic was no longer in use. "How do we get down there?" He asked. "I don't think my rope will reach down that depth." He said. "From what I know of this place and of the Raknesh, we shouldn't need to climb. The wings on these creatures would not be strong enough to carry them such a distance either. I believe that some device has been erected to aid their ascent and descent, so we should probably just be able to jump." She said. "You first." Garrett replied. Galen gave him a dark look and stepped into the tomb next to him. After looking down the hole for a second she held her staff above the hole and released it. The staff hovered in mid-air above the hole for a moment and then shot downwards. Garrett listened for the sound of it hitting bottom but no noise came up from the darkness. Galen stepped out over the hole before Garrett could say anything. She hovered for a second and then rocketed downwards. Garrett again waited for an indication of impact and again there was nothing. He stepped out over the hole.

He felt as if a hand had been clenched around his waist as he floated above the pit. Moments later he felt as though he was being dragged by his feet straight down, with the hand still around his waist. The speed was incredible but there was nothing to judge that by as Garrett found himself travelling in complete darkness. There seemed to be no end to the shaft that he was in until he suddenly and abruptly found himself stopped. He was floating lightly once again and was gently dropped on the floor.

The room was dimly lit by a single oil lamp hanging from the ceiling. Rubble lay strewn about in the same fashion as the ruined town. Garrett was standing on a platform made from an odd feeling substance that seemed to shift and compress under his feet. Galen was standing in the room's center under the oil lamp, her staff was in her hands and she was examining the far wall of the chamber. Garrett stepped off the platform and moved to join her. "This is the door into the labyrinth." She said. "But I don't see any way to open it." The wall's face was decorated with carvings of some sort. There was a large circle carved into the wall that was about the size of a tall man from top to bottom. Inside, the circle was a mess of runes, drawings, geometric shapes and slots and notches of various shapes and sizes. Garrett traced his hands across the front of the door, his hands feeling the protrusions and dips in the mosaic. Then it came to him. 

He reached into his cloak and removed the completed Vestrius. He ran this along the wall, trying it in every slot he could find. It would not fit. Galen reached over and held Garrett's hand. She lightly took the Vestrius and flipped it around so that the head piece faced outwards. She smirked at Garrett and released his hand. He remained silent and retried every hole. Then, at the exact center of the carvings the piece slid smoothly into a slot. It fit all the way up to the head piece…but nothing happened. Galen moved up to the wall. "You usually turn keys." She said and twisted the Vestrius in its notch. As it clicked, the blue stone in the headpiece shone painfully bright. Garrett and Galen stepped back, shielding their eyes from the glow that lit the room with a blue light. Energy shot out from the stone in every direction and lanced out across the wall shape. As the energy touched a carving it would enter into it and the carving would glow blue. This happened all over the door until its entire surface was alight with glowing carvings. Then at once the lights all dimmed and the door ethcings glowed a soft blue. The circle encompassing the door turned bright white and there was a loud cracking sound. The door started to move slowly inwards until it was completely open. Garrett and Galen removed their hands from their eyes and stared into the darkened passage before them.


	13. Chamber of a Thousand Fortunes

**Chapter 13**

Garrett was the first to break the eerie silence that came after the door finished its march inwards. He drew an arrow taut on his bowstring and moved cautiously forward. Galen plucked a torch out of her pack and lit it with a match. She followed behind Garrett, the torch illuminating a few feet down the passage. They reached the end quickly which opened out into a square entrance chamber.

The center area of the room was depression seperated from the raised outer area by thick square stone pillars, spaced in intervals that ran the length of the room. The walls had various tapestries adorning them but many were slashed and torn and stained dark with old blood. The floor was littered with bones and rubble was heaped in piles and scattered about the ground. Red stains covered nearly every surface in patches and streaks. A crude seat had been erected at the far end of the chamber, made from stone slabs. The back piece had been split in half and the whole construction was stained with yet more blood. A single archway led deeper into the maze at the back of the chamber behind the seat.

The two of them moved into the chamber slowly, peering around furtively at the destruction. Galen spoke while she examined a tattered wall hanging. "This is where the empire's citizens were first set upon by the creatures. Those not killed and eaten outright were hunted as they fled into the labyrinth. Many of their possessions were also brought down with them and so the hoard we search for contains many riches of the human world as well as the powerful artifacts of the Raknesh." Galen finished. "Let's move on." Garrett said. Galen nodded and they made their way through the archway at the back.

After following another tunnel a short distance they came upon a tiny chamber of dark stone that would have no light but for the torch Galen held. Three archways branched off in different directions from the chamber. "Which way?" Garrett said, peering at each one in turn. Galen leaned her staff against a wall and pulled a rolled parchment out of her pack. She unfurled it and peered at it intently. The "map" was a mess of lines, boxes, runes, and sigils. "How the hell can you read that thing?" Garrett said as he looked over her shoulder at it. Galen didn't answer but looked over the map for a moment more before placing it back in her bag. She snatched up her staff and pointed to the right-hand passage. Garrett took the lead and moved down the tunnel.

They passed through many similar chambers and tunnels, all branching off in different directions and intersecting each other. Each was the same: dark stone and lightless. Galen kept the map out now and directed them down each correct path. Several times they doubled back as a cave-in blocked their way and they were forced to find a way around. Twice they descended a short distance down on Garrett's rope through a gaping hole in the stone floor, but always were they able to retrieve the rope. Yet, not once did they encounter any change in the terrain - aside from the occasional skeleton and bloodstain - nor any other form of life.

"You'd think," Garrett said as he slid smoothly through a thin stone crevice along their path. "That with all the _creatures trapped for all eternity_ walking around down here, we would have met one by now." He finished, as he slipped out the other side. Galen passed him the torch and her staff and started to push her way in. "Be thankful mister Garrett, you may soon be wishing for this peace that we now enjoy." Galen said icily as her bag caught in the crevice. She tugged hard, but it wouldn't budge. Galen reached in and adjusted the bag slightly. Then she pulled hard on the strap. The pack popped out of the crack unexpectedly and Galen stumbled back in surprise. Her foot caught on an uneven piece of stone and she toppled backwards. Garrett caught her as she fell and she lay quite still in his arms. She looked up at him and he at her…unblinking. Abruptly she pushed him away and stood straight again. "Thank you mist-" A loud snap suddenly echoed down the passage. The sound of stone on stone was monumental as the crevice collapsed in on itself and was buried in the ensuing cascade of stone and earth that poured from the ceiling. Dust and mortar from the age old stonework filled the stale air of the corridor in a choking cloud. Garrett stumbled back away from the crevice, tugging Galen along with him.

Once they cleared the cloud Garrett turned to look at the cave-in, rubbing dust from his eyes. Galen sneezed and coughed as she leaned against the wall. She had gotten much more exposure than Garrett. She straightened up when she was finally able to speak. "As I was saying, thank you mis-…Garrett." She said. "Is there another way out?" He asked as if he had not heard. Galen glanced down at the map. "…no" She replied simply. "Perfect." Garrett said in response. "Well if we're trapped in here we may as well be rich, let's find that hoard." He said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. Holding the torch high he walked forward. Galen stored the map and followed.

The passage went on for a few more minutes before rounding a curve. A few feet ahead, a doorway opened into a dimly lit chamber. Garrett drew out his bow again and nocked an arrow. Cautiously he slunk forward and peered inside.

The doorway led onto a narrow stone gallery that ran around the perimeter of a large chamber below. By looking over the railing, one could see the wide stone floor below, bordered by cylindrical pillars supporting the balcony. The room was lit by the flickering yellow light of torches set into rusted iron sconces mounted on the walls.

From his perch near the ceiling Garrett could not see anything of the room below except for its yellowish flagged stone floor. There was no other exit from the upper level other than the one that they had entered from. Garrett could neither see nor hear anything moving below, no shadows and no footsteps. He turned to Galen. "Only one way to go." He said and indicated the chamber below. Galen moved over to the stone paling and dropped her torch to the ground floor. It twirled through the air before striking the ground below with a snap and a hiss of flame…nothing stirred. She nodded to Garrett and he quickly removed his rope and secured it to a corner post on the balustrade. He tossed the other end of the black rope and watched as it uncoiled itself in the air and landed in a small heap of excess line on the chamber floor. Grabbing the cord firmly he climbed over the balcony and, with a final look down, he let himself descend rapidly on the free hanging line, his tough leather gloves protecting his hands. His feet touched the ground moments later and he released the rope smoothly.

Galen descended moments later and they took stock of the chamber. Behind them was a large archway of stone that was completely blocked by a smooth, solid wall of rock. In front was a wide flight of broad stone steps that were built into a stone platform set against the wall. A pair of tall wooden doors stood closed on the platform and flanking the steps were two golden statues on white marble blocks. The statues were carved in the likness of great predatory beasts, four-legged sinewy creatures of muscle and teeth, their pads splayed flat as if to pounce.  "This is the inner sanctum of the labyrinth." Galen said as they walked forward towards the platform, snatching up her torch along the way. "The Raknesh stored all their collected riches within the chambers in this area, protected by various mechanisms designed to keep out unwanted visitors, we should tread carefully." They mounted the steps, and moved up to the doors., the torchlight casting long dark shadows of their figures. Garrett pushed on the left-hand door cautiously… the door creaked inwards a touch. He leaned his head inwards and inspected the room beyond.

It was much like the first room except that it was dimmer, being lit only by several iron candelabras around the perimeter. There was no gallery above it and beyond the pillars holding up the ceiling, there were many small stone archways. It was unoccupied. Garrett pushed the door open far enough to slip through and entered the room with Galen following behind. He approched the first archway on the right. Beside it was a thin bronze plaque mounted to the wall. Runes were scored deeply into the metal. Galen peered at it and read aloud: "Eternity Sleepers." "This passage leads to their burial chamber." She said and moved on to the next arch. "Arena of Blood and Steel." Galen read off the second plaque. "This was where the people of the empire were forced to fight for the amusment of the Raknesh." She said. They moved around the room, examining the many inscriptions near the arches. When they came to the tenth arch, they found what they were looking for. "Chambers of a Thousand Fortunes." Galen read, her voice breathy with anticipation. "This is it." She said and moved down the passage without a second thought, her torch casting a glow about her as she entered the darkened hallway.  Garrett followed behind observantly, looking for any sign of traps or other hazards.

The passage ended in a small square chamber. Galen peered inside from the hallway. The room was dark and empty. Seeing no visible threat Galen stepped quickly into the room, making for the archway in the opposite wall. Garrett's hand whipped out and grabbed her arm before she could get two steps in. "This is a trap." He said simply. Releasing Galen's arm he grabbed the staff out of her hands and stretched it out into the room as far as his reach would allow and waved it about. Nothing moved. Pulling it back towards himself he began tapping the flagstones, one by one. After each tap he would step lightly onto the flagstone he just tested. About a quarter of the way into the chamber Garrett tapped a stone in front of him. Before Garrett could remove the staff, there was a grinding sound as the block sank into the floor.

With a snap, two iron grates slammed down in front of the archways, one nearly skewering Galen as she leapt backwards into the passage with a scream. The grating sound of stone on stone resounded in the chamber as the walls to the left and right began their march inward.

Garrett dashed back to the archway as Galen stood up from the floor. Frantically he shook the iron wrought bars. "Do something!" He shouted to Galen. "What?!" She replied frantically. "Anything!" he yelled as he ran to the other archway, pressing down on several more pressure plates along the way, and tried the bars there. The walls had now covered a quarter of the room with no sign of stopping. Galen was rummaging frenziedly through her sling bag as Garrett sprinted back to her. Suddenly she yanked something out of her bag. "I've got a mine!" She shouted over the tremendous grinding noise. "Destroy the bars!" Garrett cried. The walls were now halfway across the room and it was getting very narrow. Galen dropped the mine and armed it as Garrett ran back to the other end of the room. The walls were so close that he could no longer extend his arms fully to either side. Galen retreated down the passage and moments later the mine detonated, shaking the chamber with the force of it. When the dust and smoke cleared, there was a gaping hole in the center of the bars, which had been warped and bent inwards. The walls were closing in. Garrett dashed forward, each step he took saw the walls move closer, until they nearly scraped his shoulders. He reached the bars and thrust himself head first through the hole, wriggling furiously. When he was nearly through, he felt his leg catch. Twisting around he saw that his boot had caught on one of the bars. The walls were moments away from touching. Frantically he unhooked his boot and yanked it through, just as the walls snapped shut, crushing the metal bars flat.

Garrett lay panting heavily on the floor as Galen moved back up the passage. She helped him stand shakily. As he did so the bars retracted. There was a screech of metal as the warped gate crashed into the ceiling, unable to fit into the narrow gap it came from. The walls slowly rolled back until they reached their original positions. "Back where we started." Garrett muttered. "Let me try this time." Galen said. "Be my guest." Garrett replied, motioning towards the chamber. Galen ducked under the broken bars protruding from the ceiling and moved into the chamber. Kneeling down, she tapped lightly on the stones in front of her, listening intently. Then pulling out a strip of cloth from an article of clothing within her bag she laid it carefully over a single flagstone.

She repeated this process down the length of the room, marking various flagstones with pieces of cloth until she reached the opposite archway. "Don't step on any of the marked stones." She called back to Garrett who had been watching from the opposite arch. He made his way across without incident. "I like your way better." He said as stepped out of the chamber. Galen smiled slightly. "Let us continue." She replied and moved off down the hall.

The passage widened as they moved down it but still remained dark. Galen was walking slightly ahead of Garrett. Suddenly the floor dropped out from under her feet with a cracking sound. She screamed. Garrett lunged out and caught her arm, jerking her to a halt. The torch spun from her grasp and spiraled down into the dark pit below her. She dangled there for a moment, staring down into the abyss, then she was pulled up as Garrett lifted her bodily out. As her feet touched solid ground she cluthed at Garrett. She stayed that way for a moment, holding him in the darkness of the corridor... Then she let go and began groping in her bag for another torch. One was soon found and lit. Holding the torch out above the well its flickering light seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness below. The pit spanned only a few meters as could be seen in the torchlight. Garrett leapt the gap easily, landing lightly on the opposite side. Next Galen tossed over the torch, staff, and slingbag so as to lighten the weight she carried. Then backing up a little she took a running jump. Her feet landed on the very edge of the pit and she stumbled as she landed. Garrett grabbed her and pulled her safely in. "I like _your_ way better." She said to Garrett as he returned her things. They continued on down the passage.

They passed into another room after a few minutes of travel. It was long, rectangular, and dark, the exit stood on the far side. Garrett and Galen strode on unperturbed, for the room looked merely like a wide part of the passageway. Halfway across the room Galen's foot pressed down on a flagstone, which, again, sank into the floor. There was a click and a whistling sound as a blade cutting the air. "Down!" Garrett yelled and yanked Galen with him to the floor as a huge gleaming steel axe swung out of the darkness above and in front of them. The weapon sliced close above their heads and swung into the darkness behind, before whipping back down and to the fore like a pendulum. 

They crawled low to the ground as the axe continued its course above them, showing no sign of halting. As they neared the exit, Garrett's hand pushed down on yet another pressure plate. This one slide slowly into the ground. There was a snapping sound to their rear. Spikes were springing out of recessed holes in the floor behind them, and advancing quickly towards them like waves as the nearer holes let loose spikes and then ones even nearer than those. "Go go!" Garrett shouted and crawled furiously to the exit. Looking up, he waited until the axe was on a backswing, and then leapt up with Galen. They made a running leap to the archway as the axe swung towards them and spikes burst out of the floor where they had been moments before. 

They landed with a thump, quickly disentangling themselves and looking back at the room's spike covered floor. "Damnit they just don't give up." Garrett said. Galen didn't reply and merely started off once again.

Finally, the trap filled corridor came to an end as yellow light shone in from an opening ahead. Garrett once again nocked his bow and slipped forward to the archway. What he saw nearly made him cry out in amazement.

The chamber was enormous. Solid rock arched high overhead, fashioned and carved into flying buttresses and pillars that appeared to be organic, so skillfully carved as they were. They joined smoothly with the ceiling as though the whole chamber was one large piece. Illumination came from the hundreds of large torches, connected to the walls in brackets. But it was not the size of the chamber which awed Garrett but its contents.

Like something ripped straight from a legend the floor was nearly covered in riches. Small mountains of wealth towered upwards, sparkling and glinting in the light. Coins, cups, jewels, swords, platters and countless other treasures, cast of every precious metal in the known world lay piled in mounds of riches that stretched the length and breadth of the room, stacked high between the pillars that were like islands in a golden sea. It was all Garrett could to do to tear his eyes away from the sight at the sound of Galen's insistent voice. "What?" He said sharply, turning angrily towards her. "Shhhhhh!!!" She hissed and pointed vehemently into the room. Garrett turned back irritably. His anger quickly melted into fear. A fair ways into the room was a Raknesh, the first they had seen since they entered the catacombs. The reptililian beast paced slowly amongst the treasure,  idly handling the piles of coins, forked tongue flicking rapidly about.

Garrett shrank back into the shadows of the corridor and drew his loaded bow taught. He brought the bow up to his cheek and sighted down along the shaft. He leaned forward in his crouch so that only the arrow head protruded from the shadows, light falling upon it but with no reflection from the soot blackened tip. He watched the creature's movements carefully. It was still a good distance away, leisurely picking amongst a pile of gems. It seemed to find what it was looking for and straightened up, a large white crystal of magnificent beauty clutched in both of its clawed hands. It turned its back to Garrett and held the gem up before itself, the light dancing across its surface, molding the light into brilliant fiery patterns along the stone walls. Garrett released his arrow, exhaling smoothly.

The shaft exploded through the creature's neck, just below the jawline. Black blood sprayed out and over the gem, turning the patterns along the walls dark red. The beast made a sound that was both a choke and a hiss, dropping the gem which clattered to the floor. It stumbled three steps forward with its claws clutched tightly around the spraying wound in its neck before giving a final gurgle and collapsing limply into the side of a coin mound, the gold clinking as it shifted.

It was some time before either Galen or Garrett ventured out into the chamber. Only when they were sure that there had been no other beasts around who had heard the kill did they decide to risk entering. After the first few tenative moments they eased off and began to marvel once again at the splendour which surrounded them. Galen wandered off in search of something but would not say what. Garrett meanwhile, began searching for practical ways to carry the most treasure possible with him. There were many chests scattered about the room, but many were solid gold or platinum. Eventually he found a sack of some fine silk weave, incredibly strong and very light. This he filled with as much local coin as he could, as well as several other exotic items. To top this off, he was able to find a new sword for himself. It was not made of steel but some silvery metal which gleamed with a highly polished sheen. The handle and pommel were made of serviceable supple black leather, with metal bindings. The sword was sheathed in a plain black case with a red velvet inner lining. Garrett examined the weapon before sliding it back into its sheath and threading it onto his belt.

It was then that Galen returned. She carried an armful of large leather-bound books and had a look of triumph plastered on her face. "This is glorious!" She exclaimed. "So much power and knowledge in one place, and it was hidden all these years so close… But look! Look at what I have found." She yelled, thrusting her books at him and pulling them away before he could glance at the covers. "These tomes alone are worth their weight in Platinum! And look!" She let her sack slip open to reveal a pile of Dineri amulets, each one set with a finely chiselled crystal that sparkled as the light hit it, lighting up Galen's bag. She slid it closed again. "I have also done well." Garrett said, gesturing to the sack of treasure at his feet. "It is a pity we cannot carry more. There is likely so much more here….so much more…." Galen trailed off and gazed about the room. "I think we should find a way out of here." Garrett said, hoisting his sack. "Yes…out…but there is more here; more to discover and take and make use of, I don't want to leave!" Galen said, raising her voice. She turned back to Garrett her eyes wide and intense"We must stay awhile longer, we'll find more sacks like this and..and we will carry more! Yes…so much more…" She trailed off once again. "No! Galen listen to me, we need to get the hell out of here, we can't possibly carry out any more and who knows if there are more of these damn things waiting for us! What the hell is wrong with you!" Garrett shouted. Galen turned on him and thrust a finger at his chest rage in her eyes.

Garrett flew back several feet and crashed into a pile of coins, disappearing under the mass. "I see your mind Garrett!" Galen shrieked into the hall, her voice echoing in the silence. "You want this treasure for yourself! Use me to get you here and then slay me as we leave! I will not have it, I will not! I'll kill you first!" She screamed. Galen thrust her hand into her bag and pulled out a Dineri, hanging it around her neck. Then she stretched out her palm and uttered some arcane words. Flames appeared in her hand, coalescing into a ball of fire. As this happened Garrett burst out from under the pile of coins, sliding and stumblling to the bottom, shaken. Galen screamed a mad scream and hurled the fireball at him. 

Only Garrett's quick reflexes saved him from death. He made a desperate leap to the side as the ball of flame hurtled past, scorching the air. It passed the area where he had been only moments before and crashed into a stone pillar, melting a gaping hole into it. Garrett slammed into the floor and scrabbled quickly to his feet. He was already running as the second fireball smashed into the floor behind him. He dodged in behind a stone pillar and waited for the sound of another fireball to hit before moving. He dashed out and made a charge straight for Galen, who was prepareing another fireball. He leapt at her and hit her midriff, knocking her to the floor and causing her concentration to break and the deadly ball of flame to snap out of existence. He grabbed the Dineri and ripped it from her neck, tossing it away, his hood slipping off as he did so. "Galen! Listen to me you crazy witch! I don't know what in the holy hell your doing but you will stop RIGHT NOW!" He shouted and slapped her hard across the face. The sound echoed in the empty air of the chamber, and then silence. 

They lay there with each other, panting heavily, Galen with her cheek to the floor. Finally she turned to look up at Garrett. There were tears sliding softly down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Garrett." She said softly, her voice shaking. "Oh gods…what have I done?" She sobbed, as more tears streamed down her face. "Garrett I…I can't do this…I…." She trailed off into sobs as Garrett stood up slowly, looking down at her pitiful state. He turned his back to her and gazed at the piles of wealth stretching out before him. "This is the stuff of madness Galen. Wealth drives the weak to obssession and the strong to power. Both ways often end miserably. I walk the fine line between the extremes Galen,  never falling to either side. But you Galen…. I fear you have already made your choice. Are you weak Galen? Is that what it is? Or perhaps you are strong… either way it will lead you too ruin." Garrett's voice was harsh above her sobs. "I will not work with someone of your temperament, I cannot. If this, this insanity takes you one more time then I swear to you that should your first attack fail ….I will kill you." Garrett finished, turning back to face Galen. Slowly her sobs die off and she dried her eyes before turning them to Garrett's. They locked for a moment and she nodded in acknowledgment. It was all that was required. Garrett stepped forward and stretched out a hand to help her to her feet. She took it gratefully. 

They grabbed their possessions and turned to leave when a chilling cry rent the air of the chamber, echoing back and forth across the cavernous hall. The sounds of the Raknesh's call drew near. Galen's eyes widened in fear and she gripped Garrett's sleeve tightly. He immediately threw her off. "We can't run from these monsters!" He yelled as the cry rippled over them once again, seeming to come from all directions at once. "We must, or we'll be killed!" Galen implored, looking pleadingly at Garrett. "Use your magic, it's the only way we can hold them off!" Galen looked at him for a moment and then nodded. "I'll try." She said.

Dropping her things, She pulled out three Dineri and hung them quickly around her neck. "I will imbue you with the attributes of a great warrior." She told Garrett. She clasped the Dineri tightly and closed her eyes. White light shot from the Dineri in beams between Galen's clenched fingers. Garrett suddenly felt power surge through every nerve and muscle in his body. His mind was filled with the experience of a thousand battles and the skill of many martial techniques so fast that it felt as though a palpable entity had been driven into his skull, leaving its knowledge imprinted in him. After a moment's recovery he stood erect and flung off his cloak, leaving only his undersuit and belt. With a single quick motion he drew out his new sword and held it out, taking up a fighting stance that seemed to come as naturally as breathing.

Galen reopened her eyes and gasped, dropping the Dineri from her tight grip. She doubled over for a moment, steadying herself on a pillar as the Raknesh cries were almost upon them. Then, pulling up reserves of strength she stood up again and yanked the spent Dineri from her neck, tossing it away. She uplifted  both her hands into the air and shut her eyes once again. Glowing spheres of coalescing blue energy materialized in her outstretched palms and the air about the two of them began to grow thick and hot. Galens eyes turned to pure, opaque white and radiated both light and power. And now the Raknesh were upon them.

The first sight of them was the looming black shadows cast against the walls as they approached through the piles of wealth.  So thick were they, so that one form could not be distinguished from another. The first reptiles rounded the gold piles in front of the pair. The hissing beasts came at them at a run, snarling and with their forearm claws at the ready. Garrett was there to meet them. 

He stepped out in front of them as they charged and gutted the first one so quick that its corpse kept moving forward for a moment, as though it had died running. Garrett spun and reversed the blade, slicing another one at the waist and sending the two halves in opposite directions, just as fast as the first kill. Then he was amongst them like lightning and elusive as smoke. His blade darted like a living entity, faster than the eye could follow sometimes. The Raknesh lost fifteen of their number within thirty seconds of the encounter. As they turned to make an attack on Garrett two of them suddenly became much faster. Garrett tried to slash one but it seemed to sidestep instantly and yet slowly. As this attack missed, the other quick one made a thrust incredibly swift at Garrett's back. Garrett's senses saved him once again as he narrowly dodged aside and beheaded another slower beast in the process, blood flying off the blade and spattering against the nearby pillar. With this attack, Garrett was able to escape the ring of reptiles that had closed in on him. 

The two quick beasts were before him once again, but as they made to strike they seemed to suddenly melt out of existence. Two glowing hot spheres of energy smashed into them before they could react and they disappeared in a blinding flash that seperated the horde of beasts from Garrett for a moment. Then it was gone and Garrett was back amongst them. He slipped in and out of the flurry of attacks, moving and shifting with the blades like a dance. Other beasts on the edges of the fray came under assault as Galen once again demonstrated the power of her craft. Fireballs and lightning bolts and pure energy flew from Galen's fingertips, directed with pinpoint accuracy to their targets. With a finger pointed upwards Galen brought a pillar and some of the ceiling crashing down into the mob with a deafening sound. Another outstretched palm sent ten of them flying across the chamber, breaking them on the unyielding stone in an instant. Pillars of water erupted from the rock, swallowing beasts whole before diving back into the earth. Galen clenched her fist and one beast simply died, its bones crushed into powder. She stabbed her fingers at another and blood gushed from many gaping holes that appeared in its chest.

As the fighting intensified Garrett seemed to grow increasingly powerful in the fray, none could touch him and as soon as he thought to attack a creature, they were already dead. The very fury of the gods seemed to course through his veins as he gutted even the most powerful creature with ease.

But the hoarde seemed ceaseless. No matter how many were killed, more simply came from another direction, and the pair of them were surrounded in a sea of movement as creatures poured from every side. With a screech more approached from the air, their membrane wings fully extended and carrying them with deadly speed to their enemies. Galen stretched her hand towards them and suddenly a pack of them dropped from the vaulted ceiling, their wings a flaming inferno as they plummeted with bone-shattering force into the ground or the wealth, one of them even being impaled on a diamond-tipped pike that stood amongst the coins. 

The bodies were piled high and yet more came at them. Garrett was driven back almost shoulder to shoulder with Galen as the ring tightened around them. Garrett looked about desperately as he fought. "Galen! Do something!" He shouted, yanking his sword from a beast's ribcage and plunging it into another with incredible speed.

Galen seemed to hear him because all of a sudden she dropped her arms and swung them out away from herself. A massive shockwave exploded outwards. The entire battle stopped as waves of force ripped outwards throwing the massive horde away in a huge circle. The blast shattered pillars and moved mountains of gold like water. Chunks of stone the size of houses crashed from the ceiling. But all of this force flowed over Garrett like a passing breeze, so strong was Galen's magic. As the power subsided there was moment of silence. Garrett looked about the destruction of the chamber, awaiting the horde's recovery and attack. But there was nothing. Garrett sighed and let his blood drenched sword fall, believing the beasts to be slaughtered. A booming laughter resounded about the chamber just then, and Garrett's sword was back up in a heartbeat. 

From amongst the dust and the rubble came the laughter once again. It was high and cruel, rich with corruption that made the air feel more sickly as it was heard. A hulking form strode from the dust that filled the air like fog. Out of this mist stepped a Raknesh.

He was enormous, standing ten feet tall and three feet broad. Though his appearance was that of a normal Raknesh, his face took a much different form. In place of the the snake-like features of the other Raknesh, this one had the face of a demon. Huge dialated eyes sat above a wrinkled and fat nose, with a fat-lipped mouth, dripping threads of spittle between, enormous crooked yellow teeth. Its entire body displayed demonic qualities on closer inspections. Huge muscular limbs were dotted with small horned protrusions, each the size of a grape. On its skull was a crown of horns, ringing the top of its head. 

"Excellent! Excellent! What a delightful show of violence!" The beast said in its sonorous intonation. 

Garrett didn't reply.

"I must say that you have the most vitality for carnage as I've seen in nigh on a century, for a mortal, glorious! Absolutely glorious!" it boomed.

"You…you are…Xath-en I presume?" Garrett said slowly, keeping his sword up.

"Very good mortal, yes I am Xath-en." The thing chuckled, its voice making each word it spoke drive painfully into Garrett's mind.

"I assume your not here to talk." Garrett gasped out. He could feel himself weakening terribly, as if the very presence of this monster sapped the magical energy out of him.

"Correct again mortal, as I said I do so enjoy the butchery you've been inflicting on my minions..." As he said this, Garrett became aware of the sound of claws clicking on stone.

"And since I've had so long to hear the sound of my own voice in _this place_…" He gestured around and the half-visible structure of the treasure room, wreathed in the swirling dust.

The clicking grew louder and Garrett began to see dark forms approaching through the mist.

Xath-en continued: "I believe that I'd much rather bathe in your blood, and perhaps have my way with that pretty woman of yours while I'm at it." He smiled,a vicious predatory smile.

Where was Galen? The thought hit Garrett like a shock. But the power of the beast's voice was now to much for Garrett. He dropped his sword to the stones with a sharp clang and fell to his knees, clutching his head and groaning. He managed to jerk his head up in time to see the Raknesh materialize from the dust and stalk towards him on crooked claws, hissing and snapping.

_This is it, I'm killed_

The first beasts rushed to attack, beginning to swing their forearm blades in a final, deadly arc…

A beam of red energy sliced straight through the centre of the first and passed through two more behind it. The creatures wailed terribly and fell dead as the beam swept out of their sides in a continuous stream and cut a swathe through others. 

Galen strode out of the dust, her eyes still a blinding white, the red lance of energy projecting from her finger-tip and being directed with pin-point accuracy. In her other hand was a ball of flame which she quickly hurled at Xath-en.

The flaming ball caught the demonic being off-guard and hit him square in the chest. He roared in anguish and clutched at the terrible burning wound in him. This cry sent even more pain into Garrett's mind until he felt as though his brain would burst and spew out onto the stone beneath him.

Xath-en stumbled back into the dust cloud. "Ygrath noru ferlich ergard tupara!" He bellowed to the Raknesh, pointing at Galen with a clawed finger.

"Stand up." Galen said to Garrett. Her voice seemed to cut through the wall of agony that enveloped him. He managed to stand shakily and quickly sheathed his sword. "This way." She said and, still directing the beam through the horde of Raknesh, pulled him off away into the mist. They ran on together through the choking dust, Galen leading the way. "I've found a way out." Galen said as she pulled Garrett along by the hand. They passed piles of riches and the crumbled ruins of masonry from the collapsed chamber. Suddenly before them was a darkened archway. Galen pulled Garrett through and they were now running along a dark passage. "Light" Galen said and suddenly the white of her eyes glowed brightly enough to illuminate the passage a few feet before them. "The energy from the Dineri will soon wear off." Galen told Garrett in an echoing voice. "The drain will nearly kill me unless I am able to rest, so we must hurry." She said this will a calm voice but Garrett could hear the fear behind it. The passage quickly opened into a circular room. Within it was another pad like the one at the entrance to the underground caves. Galen quickly leapt onto the pad, with Garrett right behind. They hovered there for a moment and then shot upward into the darkness.

****

The abandoned church basement was a dust covered ruin. Old wooden barrels sat on rotting supports and the floor was covered in mould and puddles of water. Cobwebs crossed the ceiling corners and wooden wreckage from old furniture lay strewn about the floor with the broken remains of stone ceiling supports. A stone stairway was built into the wall at one end of the room. The other end of the room had a heavy stone plug set into the floor. The plug was open, the thick stone lid lay split in half to one side of the hole.

Out of this hole a tremendous whooshing sound was heard, like the air was being sucked out of the room. With a pop, Garrett and Galen appeared out of the hole and stopped dead, hovering in the air. They leapt off this invisible support, landing with a thud on the musty stone floor, tumbling into a heap. Garrett stood up wearily, dragging Galen with him. "Where the hell are we?" He said, looking around. Galen glanced around quickly. "This is a church dedicated to Saint Loath, it is located a short distance out of the City, surrounded by a small hamlet of about eighty people. This church was abandoned several years ago, when historians from the City library discovered that Loath was not actually the heroic missionary that he was made out to be, and was really just a charlatan, selling a herbal medicine which he thought was fake.  Fortunately for him, the herbs he used were actually successful in curing the disease which had been sweeping this area. He spent the rest of his life worshipped by the people as a healer. The rest of the village is still inhabited as far as I know." Galen finished. "That's all?" Garrett said sarcastically. "Yes." Galen said dryly. "Right" Garrett replied. "We'd better get going." He said. With that they hurried up the steps at the far end of the room. This led out of a set of broken trapdoos and through the priest's quarters. They rushed down the church aisle, past the shattered pulpit and tattered hangings, and through the aisles or rotten waterlogged pews. They pushed through the broken wooden doors at the main entrance and moved down the steps into the courtyard at the centre of the village. It was a deserted, dust-covered place, surrounded by dark house faces and narrow cobblestone alleys. Garrett quickly pulled Galen down one of the side streets and out of the town. Out in the countryside they made for the City.


	14. Out of the Frying Pan

More screams. Through the flame and the smoke there were more screams. Screams from every direction and every building. Screams of terror. The wide cobbled city square was a scene of chaos and fire. Crowds of people milled around in the street, lacking direction or even individual thought. They moved as one body, like water first in one direction and then the next, breaking and reforming as fresh nightmares assaulted them and changed their course.

The Raknesh were here.

The buildings surrounding the square were nearly all in flames. Thick columns of black smoke rose from gaping holes in the stonework and the roofs. The blazing chaos of orange and yellow roared hungrily from out of windows, as chunks of masonry crumbled and collapsed to the street, some of them crashing into the waters of the canal to hiss out their pure white heat. The canal itself reflected the blazing scene about it. The water was a shimmering image of flame and smoke but this scene was also tinged with the deep red of human blood.

As the crowd screamed and ran for an archway out of the square they were descended upon by their winged attackers once again. Groups of Raknesh swept in from the sky, shrieking their unearthly cries as they blasted towards the terrified populace. The mob attempted to reverse direction, trying frantically to escape the inevitable. The reptilian monstrosities impacted the crowd at various places, coming down like thunderbolts and crushing the humanity beneath them. Their forearm claws hacked and slashed into the people, spraying blood into the air and soaking the ground in it.

From one of the houses someone shrieked as they were hurled, with limbs flailing, from the third floor. The scream was cut short as the body impacted the stone below and slipped raggedly into the canal, leaving a bright red streak of blood where it hit. Another window shattered from the heat as flame blasted outwards, engulfing one man who stood to close. He screamed and stumbled into the chairs and tables of an outdoor café before being plucked up by a Raknesh and flown over the crowd, where his flaming, screaming body was dropped into the masses.

Blood ran in thick rivulets through the uneven cobblestones as the dark night wore on. And the violence had only begun.

In the shadows of the café, crouched Garrett. Battered and bloodied he had watched through the large glass front window as the flaming man had stumbled blindly into the furniture, and then been plucked up. Inside the café Garrett hid near the back wall behind the counter, away from the flaming light that came streaming through the window. Galen was unconcious beside him. She had collapsed about an hour ago, after they hade entered the city. Even from outside the towering smoke and flames had been visible from quite a distance as they approched overland. The front gates and been smashed open and the guard posts abandoned so there had been no trouble entereing.

Moments after they had entered Galen had simply dropped. The Dineri had finally worn off and she had just fallen. Garrett had carried her for most of the way, trying to stay to the back alleys as much as possible…. Away from the screams. Now he crouched above her as she lay on the floor of the café, her face was incredibly pale, her breathing shallow and ragged.

Garrett watched the scene in the street outside for a moment more. Then, he carefully lifted Galen up in his arms and slipped into the storeroom behind the counter. From here he went into the darkened kitchen. The backdoor was jammed shut so he carefully placed Galen down and grabbed the handle. He pressed his shoulder against the door frame then gave it a hard push. The cheap wood groaned and buckled. He let go, stood back and snapped a kick at the door jamb. The door crumpled and splintered. Another kick and the thing burst outwards, slamming against the wall before swinging back in brokenly on its hinges. Garrett swept Galen up into his arms again and shouldered out through the door.

The alley was filled with split bags of trash and metal cans. To the right was a large metal rubbish container overflowing with trash. The screams from the market square could be heard very close. Garrett stepped down the rickety wooden staircase and into the narrow alley. He started to walk to the far end, his boots splashing through wide shallow puddles of water. Numerous back doors opened out onto this alley and as he passed the reccesses of one he felt the hairs on his neck prickle and he thought he heard the scuffling of feet. He continued to walk for a few paces before placing Galen down once again and turning towards the doorway. He drew the sword he had obtained from the Raknesh's cave complex and advanced towards the doorway. "Who the hell's in there?" He called out….

No answer.

He advanced to within a few steps of the door and stepped up onto the stone threshold, peering into the depths of the doorway.

Nothing.

He moved up to the door and pressed his free hand against it.

Suddenly a hand came crashing down onto the wrist of his sword hand. The painful blow jarred the sword from his grip. As he turned to meet his attacker another powerful blow to his shoulder sent him spinning to the side. He knocked himself painfully on the stone wall and slid to the ground as a shadowy figure stood above him, sihoutted by the light of the moon. Garrett was about to attack when a booted foot pinned him in a sitting position. "Don't do anything rash brother." The figure said in a deep and calm voice. Garrett stared up at the man. "Brother?….. You are a keeper?" He asked. "Keeper Artemis, well met brother." The man said. "I'm not your brother Artemis." Garrett replied darkly. "It matters little what you think our relation is Garrett. I'm merely here to perfom my duty to the order." Artemis said. "Would that duty include crushing me?" Garrett said sarcastically, glancing down at the boot pressed against his chest. Artemis chuckled and removed his foot, stepping back out of the doorway into the alley. Garrett rose and snatched his sword up from the ground. He stepped out into the alley, holding the weapon loosely in his hand and glaring at Artemis. The keeper's face was obscured in shadow above his mouth. The man was of average build but obviously quite strong, the black cloak he wore shaped by the broad shoulders beneath. Finally Garrett sheathed his weapon. "I'm not here to harm you Garrett." Artemis said. "Oh is that what you call it?" Garrett replied sarcastically once again.

The screams from the courtyard could still be heard, mixing with the unearthly call of the Raknesh as they slaughtered their victims. "As you've no doubt noticed, things are not exactly as…. balanced as we would like." Artemis said after a particularly loud scream cut off. "Its all about balance with you bastards isn't it." Garrett said, glaring coldly at the keeper. "Listen to me Garrett, there isn't the time for this, what you and that woman have started must be stopped before things get any worse." Artemis explained hurriedly. "You must come with me to the keeper compound. This madness must be stopped." He started towards Garrett.

"Stop right there!" Garrett shouted and yanked his sword from its sheath and levelling it at the keeper. "How do I know this isn't some trick? Those things have done this to me before." Garrett glared at the man. "Show me your face Artemis." Garrett said. "Garrett what are y-" "Show me your face or I'll cut off your head and see for myself!" Garrett shouted.

Artemis stood still in the following silence. Then he slowly reached up and slid back his hood. The man's face was chiseled and clean shaven. His head was bald but marked with a light dusting of hair stubble. His blue eyes were painfully bright it seemed as they gazed down the length of Garrett's blade.

Garrett examined the man's face for a moment before slowly lowering his blade. "….. alright….. I'm sorry about that but I had to be sure." Artemis merely nodded, his piercing gaze never leaving Garrett. "We must hurry before we're discovered by those creatures. The compound is not far from here, we should get moving now." Artemis explained, moving forward and lifting Galen in his arms.

"Wait how d-" Garrett started. "There is no more time for your questions and your doubts Garrett! Things are much worse than you realize and we must act quickly! Whatever you feelings towards me or the other keepers must and will be put aside! There is too much at risk to have you second guessing the actions of wiser men than you. If you value your life then you will follow and you will help!" Artemis's voice was calm as he said this but the solid tone of his voice was readily apparent. With that he strode off down the alley with Galen in his arms. Garrett glared after him for a moment but then followed, slamming his blade angrily back into its sheath.


	15. Ivory Towers

Artemis led Garrett down the alley and away from the terror of the merket square. He wound through the endless twisting backalleys and crooked streets, staying far from the orange lights that signified yet another scene of fire and death. Near the Stonemarket Artemis turned into a small garden courtyard. "This city has burned before and will do so once again before the end time." he muttered to himself as he placed Galen down on a green park bench and moved to a clear space of wall. Garrett moved close to Galen and knelt beside her, touching a pair of fingers to her neck. Her pulse was steadier now and her breathing more even. At the sound of a whisper Garrett looked up.

Artemis was facing the wall and had something in his hand that Garrett could not see. He didn't need to, he knew what would happen next. Slowly the wall just above the keeper's head began to glow blue. Thin lines traced themselves into a sweeping pattern of crisscrossing energy. When the glyph had been formed, the blue light faded to dim and the outline of an archway became visible in the stonework. Slowly on invisible hinges the wall swung inwards and a passage gaped before Artemis. Garrett rose and lifted Galen into his arms as he followed the keeper into the passage. When they had passed through the arch the stone returned to its place unbidden and the glyph above it faded, leaving no sign that anything more than a wall had been or would ever be there.

The passage sloped down at a fairly steep angle before leveling out into a torchlit hallway of dark stone. Artemis walked silently ahead of Garrett, the silhouette of his hood shifting as he walked. The footsteps of the men echoed in the empty passage despite the typical silence of Garrett's feet. At the end of the hallway was a large wooden and iron-bound door. There was no apparent handle anywhere. Artemis removed something from his pouch and pressed in against the door. Something chimed from behind the portal and a few moments later a metal slit built into the door slid open to reveal a set of grey eyes. The eyes examined them for a moment. Then a muffled voice spoke "Vibi Velius brother Artemis." Artemis smiled "Vibi Velius brother Daval." He replied. The metal slit closed and from beyond came the sounds of locks being unbolted. The door was pulled open and they entered quickly.

The room inside was a sparse guard room with the simplest of accouterments. A hooded keeper stood from his chair at a wooden table and bowed but said nothing. Behind them the one who had closed the door bolted it once more and then approched them, his grey eyes shrouded beneath his hood. "First Keeper Orland is waiting for you Artemis, he has been most impatient for your return and the return of…" The hood turned towards Garrett. Artemis nodded once to the man. "Has the council been assmebled yet?" He asked. "No brother, some have yet to arrive from their posts in the city, it is… difficult to travel quickly under such conditions. Also, our brothers in the City government are seeing to the stability and safety of the lord governor and his entourage. All told it will be several hours before the council can be assembled." Artemis nodded once again. "Very well I shall report to keeper Orland at once, please see to it that Garrett and the woman here are given appropriate quarters." Artemis turned to leave. "Ah… brother, the First Keeper has also requested an audience with the…. the Betrayer." He looked to Garrett again. Beneath his hood Garrett scowled darkly but held his tongue. Artemis was silent for a moment. "Then let us at least bring the woman to their rooms, she will need rest and silence for a time." Keeper Daval nodded. "I will send someone to inform keeper Orland and brother Julius here will lead you to some suitable rooms and then to Orland's chambers. I must remain here to admit other arrivals." He said. "Many thanks brother Daval." Artemis replied. Daval nodded and then the second keeper motioned for them to follow him through a door at the back of the guard room.

The guard room connected to the vast library towers. Octangonal spires were lined with tall wooden shelves and packed with leather-bound volumes of lore from every imaginable branch of knowledge. High stained glass windows coloured the evening light streaming down into the library to lie across the tesserae floor, which depicted scenes from the various chronicles of the Ages. Here was bold Cironix in his burnished platemail thrusting a blade into the side of his trecherous brother Dialius during the Age of Might. There was beautiful Nali from the Time of Growth, lying half-clothed in white amongst the greenery of a dark forest, an apple held delicately in her hands and the lines of the tesserae crossing her pale alabaster skin.

The shelves were mounted by ladders on rails and across the floor was set many wooden tables and chairs, covered in yet more aged tomes, some lying half open with their pages illuminated in the flickering orange of short stubby wax candles that dripped out their life on the tabletops. The libray towers were devoid of life on this night of death but along the upper balconies of the towers and through the dark hallways could be heard the quick shuffling of feet and the murmer of low voices occasionally punctuated by the sharp click of a door being closed or opened.

Artemis descended the wooden platform around the tower wall behind keeper Julius and strode quickly along the mosaic floors and through the stone arches connecting the towers with Garrett following behind. He led them to a spiral stair case leading off one of the towers and they ascended two levels, before exiting onto a marble balcony overlooking the lower library tower floors. They walked along this to another wooden door and entered. This was the scribarium, empty for the moment, like the library. Rows of slanted wooden desks held inkpots and quills in their indented surfaces always prepared for the scribing of new glyphs and prophecies. Out this door and through several smaller libraries and stuides they finally arrived onto a quiet hallway with many doors leading off of it.

"The room at the end is empty." Brother Julius said without pausing in his step. He stopped in front of the room and unlocked the door with a key from the ring at his belt. He opened the door and moved aside to allow Garrett to enter. The room held a large simple wooden bed that while meant for one person could accommodate another if needed. A wooden nighttable was beside the bed with an electric lamp sitting atop it. A dresser stood to one side with silver bowl and pitcher standing on it, along with some clean towels. The other side of the room held a chair and desk with a candle atop it and two drawers built into the front. An inkpot and quill were set into the desk corner. Near the bed was a glass paned window, the window was open to allow air to flow in but the curtains were shut. Tonight the city would not be pleasing to look upon.

Garrett carried Galen to the bed and lay her gently down onto the clean white linen. He turned on the electric lamp, letting a warm glow into the darkened room. He dropped his hood back down for the moment. He carefully pulled her boots off and placed them near the dresser. His hands moved up and undid the braid, allowing her red hair to come down. He loosened some of the straps on her bodysuit before pulling the sheets back and placing her snugly beneath them. A final check of her pulse revealed it as being completely even now and she was breathing peacefully as if in a deep sleep. Her skin was beginning to warm to the touch as well and he let his hand linger on her neck, feeling the warm life returning to her body.

He rose up and looked down at her lying there. Something stirred within him, something which he had not felt before but always knew was there. He didn't acknowledge it, merely knelt, brushed the hair from her face and then did something he could not remember doing in a long time.

He smiled.

It was a not a smirk or a grin or a self serving feeling that welled like a font within him now. It was a smile pure a cleanly for someone else, for her.

It was gone as soon as it had come but for an instant he was not who he had been. The mask was gone and now was back. He turned to face to the two keepers that had watched him from the doorway and pulled up his hood. "Show the Betrayer to the First Keeper." He said coldly.


	16. Choices

The rough wooden door swung inwards and Artemis strode inside, followed by Garrett. Their escort pulled the door to the First Keeper's quarters shut behind them and they heard his footsteps recede down the passageway. The room was compartively lavish next to the rest of the Keeper Compound. A rich red carpet covered the floor and a large fire crackled brightly in its hearth, throwing warm red light across the simple yet elegant furnishings of the room.

From a desk at the far wall came the sharp hard sounds of a quill, furiously scratching across a yellowed sheet of papyrus. At the sound of the door closing the man writing had paused, leaving a close silence in the room. His silhouetted frame perked up and listened for a moment and then bowed once more to continue its caligraphy. Artemis and Garrett approached across the carpet making such noise that was rivaled greatly by the quill scratching.

"And so you return Garrett in our 'hour of need'." Came the voice of the man at the desk, his body not pausing from it's scribing. Garrett stopped walking forward and stood stock still "You find it suitable to use my name now keeper Orland? Am I no longer 'the Betrayer' in your presence but a respected brother of the order?" Garrett said quietly to the hunched form. "No Garrett you still are, and will always be, the Betrayer to all who hold the title of keeper until you part from this life. But there is no sense in agitating a man such as you more than necessary." Orland replied. "You're doing a poor job then Orland." Garrett spat. "Perhaps, but in truth your comfort is of little concern at this time." Orland said quietly back. "Why am I here Orland? What do you want?" Garrett said impatiently. " Orland's quill was loud in the silence of the room. "Garrett you are here because you are responsible for the peril this city lies in tonight. You and that woman have brought about something catastrophic and now you must be made to answer for it." Orland said as calmly as if he had told Garrett that it was sunny outside. More silence, which the quill filled with its grating rasp. Garrett laughed darkly all of a sudden. "You son of a bitch." He muttered. "You would have the arrogance to bring Galen and I here as allies and then make us prisoners?" Garrett said accusingly. "You are not prisoners Garrett and we have not accused you of anything more than what you have done. But this crisis concerns all who live within this City and because you have created it you should be the one to remedy it; don't you think?" The fire cracked and popped, embers sparking from the wooden logs to fall as flaming motes of light. "No." Garrett said icily. There was a loud crack from Orland and the scratching stopped. Garrett saw dark ink dribble down the papyrus front as Orland held up his broken quill for a moment.

He dropped it to the desk and pushing back from the desk, turned to face Garrett, smoothing his green and gold robes hastily. Orland's face was that of a man in his forties but with a burden much beyond his years. His dark beard was already flecked with gray as was his short cropped and straight brown hair. His deep brown eyes held smouldering embers behind them now, reflected in the delicate crystal lenses of his gold-rimmed spectacles which he wore low on his nose. His lip trembled with a contained anger as he regarded Garrett from across the utter silence of the room. "No? You would refuse to right such a wrong which you yourself have manufactured with your ceaseless lust for wealth!" He shouted. "Is it so surprising Orland? The Betrayer looking after himself? But no, I don't refuse, not truly, however I will not be the only one to fix this, the foremost reason being that I don't know how." Garrett said truthfully, for he had not the slightest clue as to how such an attack might be halted. "We can tell you how Garrett, that is why you're here, why you've always been here and will continue to be brought here. You are useful; as much as a hammer is a useful tool of the Builder's minions." Orland retorted coldly. "And yet still you wonder why I refuse to help you Orland, time after time why I am the reluctant hero of your sorry endeavours to maintain balance." Garrett replied. "Oh but you are a tool Garrett, I thought you had accepted this by now. When you turned your back on our teachings so long ago you stopped being our brother and became our instrument, just as you are the instrument of every corrupt soul in this city with enough coin to hang before your eyes."

Just then the door to Keeper Orland's chambers opened again. Garrett had his back to the doors so Orland called over his shoulder. "Well met brother." Garrett deigned not to look at the new arrival and was about to retort when a voice sounded from behind him. "Mister Garrett, we meet again." Garrett whirled around now to face the man. Donovan's grey eyes peered gravely from beneath the hood and robes of the keepers as he nodded to Garrett.

"Donovan! You bastard!" Garrett said accusingly. "You see Garrett, you are our tool whether you believe it or not." Orland said, overriding Garrett's rising tone. "What about Galen is she in on this too?" Garrett said, turning back to Orland. "The woman? No she was not aware of Donovan's identity. She was merely another facet of the deception." Orland said. "How can you call this manipulation balance?" Garrett said, still stinging from the revelation.

"Despite what you may believe Garrett the natural order is not balanced and nor will it ever balance itself. This city and it's denizens slide furthur into corruption with each passing day and inaction will not cure this disease. No, this cancer requires a much stronger response than nature can provide. The glyphs, they are the antidote to this poison. Each prophecy each chronicle, every piece of knowledge we have guides us in the pursuit of balance. Therefore we follow these instructions to a fault, using every talent, and every method available to us be it manipulation or even assassination. The scales are tipping Garrett and we are the counter-balance. Your accusation of manipulation should be a word of thanks." Orland finished. "So you think you are gods then?" Garrett said sarcatically. "No just their hands." Orland replied dryly.

"Fine I didn't come here to debate philosophy with you, hell I didn't even come here voluntarily. If you know how to stop these things, how to maintain your damn balance then tell me so we can get on with finishing this. It's not like I seem to have a choice in the matter anyway." Garrett said sullenly.

"Ah now you accept your status, good." Orland said. "I don't accept anything beyond stopping this latest catastrophe, I will never consider helping you a forgone conclusion." Garrett said. "Bah! Latest catatstrophe! A race of powerful and evil beings from the beginning of time are invading and destroying this city and you speak as if this were nothing more than an errand we would have you run." Orland said testily. "Look, you wanted my help and now you have it, so why don't you just get to the damn point!" Garrett retorted.

"Would that it were that simple Garrett." Orland said. "There is to be a council shortly and you must be in attendance, this matter still requires some discussion before you can be sent out."

"Discussion? What the hell is there to discuss? You said you can tell me how to end this. What more is there?" Garrett said impatiently. He was growing tired of jumping through Orland's hoops. "You will know when the council is called, until then return to your chambers and wait for someone to summon you to the council tower." Orland said and turned back to his desk, obviously indicating that the discussion was finished. This angered Garrett to no end, but then so did most of the keeper's actions. Artemis, who had remained silent and motionless during the entire discussion made a polite motion for Garrett to follow him out. Donovan approached Orland and began talking to him in hushed tones as Garrett followed Artemis out the door.

Once outside in the hallway he drew up his hood and matched pace with Artemis as he led Garrett back to his chambers. They walked in silence for some time before Garrett spoke up as they walked. "Do you believe what Orland said in there? About balance and manipulation?" For a few moments Artemis didn't answer. "I believe that it is the duty of every person to do what they can." Artemis said quietly.

Garrett bid his keeper companion a short farewell at the entrance to his chambers before slipping inside. Galen looked up from the book she was reading as he entered. She was dressed in a simple sleeping gown, her bodysuit lay in a heap next to her boots by the dresser. Her long red hair cascaded down her back and her soft beautiful features glowed in the lamp-light. "One of the keepers lent me this. She said, gesturing to the gown. "Although she didn't seem to pleased about it." Galen said non-chalantly. "How are you feeling?" Garrett asked quietly. "Fine I suppose, although she told me what happened, with the Raknesh and…" She trailed off, pointing weakly at the curtained windows masking the city beyond. Garrett said nothing. "I didn't think it would come to this. All that's happened it's….. it's my fault isn't it?" It wasn't really a question so Garrett didn't answer it. He moved to a desk and began to unlace his boots, with one foot on the chair. "The keepers are calling a council soon, they want me to attend." He told her. "Why? What's going on?" She asked, putting the book aside on the night-table and sitting furthur up in bed. "They believe that there is a way to stop this, to stop those things and they want me to do it. But, for some reason there needs to be a council first." Garrett said as he tossed his boots aside and began to undo his cloak. He was still angry at the memory of Orland's face. "Well I'm sure the keepers will know what to do." She said.

"NO!" He shouted and pounded his fist against the desk, making Galen jump. "They don't know! They don't! And it's people like you, who think that all will be taken care of as long as the keepers are in control, that let them have a free reign over us all! Over…..over me." Garrett finished his tirade weakly and then set to undoing the clasp on his cloak. For all his dexterity he couldn't seem to get the damn thing to loosen and so he pulled uselessly at it before letting out an angry sigh. Then Galen was there, beside him, her hands moving delicately between the folds of cloth. With a slight pull the clasp came loose and Garrett's cloak and hood fluttered to the floor, leaving him in his black undersuit. She began to remove the equipment strapped to him, first his sword, and then his small quiver and belt. He stood motionless as she did so, his mismatched eyes following her light movements about his body.

When all his equipment was removed she stepped back. He took her hand as she did so, and pulled her a little closer. They were almost the same height and so Garrett's eyes stared directly into hers. "Thank you." He said, holding her hand gently in his own. She stared back unblinking into his eyes and smiled slightly before shrugging her shoulders and breaking the contact as she moved to sit back down on the bed-side.

Garrett shook himself mentally and started to organize his equipment properly for easy access should he need it. "The keepers believe you can stop this?" She asked, watching him work. "I don't know what they believe but for the moment it appears that yes I am able to do something about this." Garrett said, hanging his cloak on the corner of the dresser along with his sword. "And what do you believe?" Galen said. "That I don't have a choice." Garrett replied, setting his bow and quiver on the empty chair. "So you will do this because they tell you that you must, even though you don't believe in it but simply because they have ordered it?" Galen said in a surprised tone. "I will do it because it is as much my trouble as it is their's, but other than that yes I do it because they order it. What I believe often becomes irrelevant." Garrett said, his mind sickening from all this talk of belief and alligience. "Do you trust that they are correct?" She asked. "I don't know!" He said sharply. "I don't know if I trust them, I don't know why I'm doing this! All I know is that I'm tired of questions and tired of troubles and that I wish to sleep." Galen's eyes blazed at him. "I am not a keeper and I am not your enemy. The Raknesh may be my fault but the true cause of your anger is not their presence and therefore not my fault." Garrett glared back at her defiant eyes for a moment before dropping his gaze. "I apologize Galen, you're right. But I am tired and right now all I wish is sleep." He pulled the black shirt over his head, revealing the lean and corded muscles on his chest and arms, before tossing the garment over the chair. As he turned back around he noticed Galen's lingering gaze upon him. She quickly shifted her eyes to his face however. He was about to lay down when the lack of a second bed dawned on him. "I'll sleep there." He said pointing to the small window seat below the heavy curtains. He snatched his cloak from the dresser and fit himself into the small space as best he could, wrapping the black material about himself and laying his head upon one of the small cushions of the seat. Galen seemed fairly quiet at this but lay back into her bed all the same and turned out the lamp. Garrett drifted into his typical light sleep within moments.

Galen's thrashings awoke Garrett after about a half hour of sleep. He started awake in the darkness of the room to see Galen snatching and hitting at the air, writhing about in her sheets and moaning loudly. He lightly rolled out of the space and moved to the bed side.

"No…. no no no no no no no no no no…."

"It wasn't me, no no no no no"

"I'm sorry (sob) please don't….. no…. no no no no no no"

"Stay away! (sob) I don't want to see!"

"NO!"

Garrett grabbed her thrashing arms and pinned them gently but firmly to the bed. He leaned in to hold her still but she was thrashing hard and close to screaming. Without thinking he brought his lips to hers and kissed her firmly. Her eyes started open and she thrashed for a moment more but more out of surprise than terror.

Garrett pulled back quickly and released her. She stared at him in the darkness though she could not see his face. "You were having a nightmare…. I uh….. I couldn't really calm you down so I….. I apologize." He said sheepishly. "It was about the tomb above the Raknesh cave, that voice in my head, it was threatening me; telling me terrible things about what it was going to do all…. In the voice of a child." Galen trembled slightly but she seemed quite calm. "Please… please…. Stay with me." She implored him. There was silence for a time. "Alright." He said, and slipped quietly into bed.

She wrapped her arms about him and pulled close. He could feel the heat of her body through the soft material of the gown, smell the richness of her flowing red hair as it brushed lightly against his face. He put his protective arms around her in return. She looked up into his face and then kissed him with the intensity of every look she had ever given him. As they broke she whispered to him: "You have protected me, saved me, and despite all I have done cared for me and I for you. I love you Garrett." He pulled her close this time, welcoming the feel of her full red lips. He ran a hand through her red mane and down her back to her waist, holding her to him. Feeling stirred within him as her tongue roamed about the inside of his mouth. He was unskilled at such action, but the raw feeling was there to guide him. Slowly and gently he tugged at the sleeping gown and she at the pants of his undersuit, until they both lay unclothed in each others arms. They each reveled in the feeling of the other, he the warm smoothness of Galen's skin and she the hard and lean muscle of Garrett's body.

They coupled there, in the cold of the keeper vaults, the city burning about them and a different type of fire blazing within them. At the climax Galen cried out in pleasure that seemed to last an age, and Garrett did as well for what had passed between them. Exhaustion took them then and they fell into a deep and pleasured sleep in each others arms such that neither had known in all the years of their life.

The hard rap on the door was a cruel awakening for Garrett. About him was the clean white linen of the bed, Galen lay asleep in his arms, the sound and feel of her breathing was upon him. He smiled and slipped out of her embrace without disturbance, an easy task for one of his skills. Quickly he pulled on his undersuit pants and went to the door, opening it a crack.

A sliver of light stabbed into the dark room through the opening as keeper Julius leaned in. "The council is assembled Be-…..Garrett. You must come with me." Julius said, holding the lamp aloft in his hands. "Ok wait here." Garrett told him and shut the door before he could protest. He turned back into the room and dressed quickly, pulling on his shirt and belt and strapping his sword across his back so that the handle jutted above one shoulder. As he swirled his cloak about his shoulders Galen came quietly awake. She sat up in bed, holding a sheet across her chest to cover her nakedness and keep off the chill. Her red hair was in disarray but that only seemed to increase her beauty. "It is time then." She said. Garrett nodded as he fastened the clasps on his cloak. She stood up from the bed and pulled the sheet up around her body before coming in close to Garrett. "Please, I don't want to lose you, to lose this." She said.

He looked into her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time. _I am not who I once was. She has changed me and I don't know….I don't know if I want it or not. I mean I think I do but…_

Unable to come up with a response he leaned in and kissed her tightly. "You won't lose me." He said as they broke apart. _This is not who I am…. But I don't care, I've lived too long in the embrace of the shadow. I now have a greater prize than can be taken…_

He made one last check of his clothes and then went to the door, pulling up his hood in the process. As he reached for the handle those feelings that had swept through him in this room were snuffed out for the time being. He was Garrett, master thief, once more as that handle turned.

"What will you have to do?" Galen called out, he face worried but still with the shades of pleasure that had been there. Garrett thought about this question for a moment. "What I can." He said and then that door was open.


End file.
